


A Pocketful of Charms and a Demon on your Shoulders

by phantomdieb



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Demons, Familiars, Journey, M/M, Mage AU, Magical Creatures, Multi, overuse of innocent potatoes as comic relief, tags will be added as the story updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-09-18 01:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9359252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomdieb/pseuds/phantomdieb
Summary: Semi is twenty-one years old and still hasn't found his familiar. It bothers him, so he finally decides to do something against it.But his spell backfires and instead of a familiar Semi finds himself facing a demon.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It is finally here!
> 
> I've been working on that AU since October and I'm very proud to finally be able to share it with you!  
> ✨ I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. ✨
> 
>  
> 
> Special thanks go to:
> 
> \- [Sel](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Selpuku), for inspiring me [(x)](https://twitter.com/selpuku/status/775298558035496960) [(x)]() [(x)](https://twitter.com/selpuku/status/788331918043381760)  
> \- [my Broski](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hatakaashi/pseuds/hatakaashi), for all the headcanon sessions we had and ideas you gave me  
> and last but not least  
> \- [Arne](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Arne/pseuds/Arne), for always motivating me and being the #1 Fan before I even started to post anything
> 
> honestly guys I couldn't have done this without you♥

The air still tasted crisp when Semi stepped outside, even though the snow had already melted away and first buds dared to show themselves. Semi quietly muttered a curse as he pushed his hands deep into his pockets, trying to shield them from the cold as much as he could. Because even if he would like that a lot, he just couldn't stay at home and hide in his warm bed. He had a mission and he should be damned if he would let the weather stop him!  
  
Today was the day.  
  
He could feel it in his bones.  
  
Today would finally be the day when he found his familiar.  
  
He just had to because if he didn't, then Semi had sworn to himself that he'd go other ways to have a magic support by his side. A somewhat dangerous one, frowned upon by many. But he didn't care about other people's opinion. He would go that way if he had to. But for now he just hoped that he would have found his familiar by the end of this day.  
  
  
A few hours later it started to get dark and Semi was still in the forest. He had found a few animal familiars, but none of whom he felt a bond to. A connection. Which was the most important part about finding a familiar.  


  
–

  
  
There were a lot of familiars out there, waiting for someone to come by that they felt drawn to.  
Without that connection between them it was pointless. Because a familiar was probably best described as a magical soulmate. They could help the mage in improving their power and their control over their magic.  
  
And they usually felt how their partner was feeling.  
  
If their mage was in high spirits and feeling good, a familiar would help them push forward and get stronger, better and keep on training until they drop exhausted but satisfied into the grass.  
On the other side, if their mage was exhausted they would urge him to take it easy and get some rest. Even the most stubborn mages would listen to their familiar because they trust them wholeheartedly.  
  
This was what the bond was for.  
  
But it wasn't just the mages who benefit from it. It worked the other way as well.  
The mages could feel when their familiar felt anxious or just not well and take care of them. They were there to protect them whenever they had to.  
The lives of a mage and their familiar were tied from their birth and they could never be seperated unless one of them died, no matter what.  
  
But even though legends said that every mage had a familiar whose life was tied to their own, not everyone found that familiar.  
  
Some mages have been known to live their entire life without ever finding their familiar. However, there have been recordings in books which say that there have also been mages known to have two familiars and according to those books those mages seem to possess the power of two different kinds of magic.  
  
But those were old books and most people didn't believe that there were mages with two familiars. They just thought that it wasn't possible. Probably just a misunderstanding that had happened when that book had been written.  


  
–

  
  
Semi huffed when he remembered that part in the book. People too often wrote off something they didn't understand or didn't even _try_ to understand as a mistake or myth.  
And yet…  
  
It was still dark and Semi was still familiar-less. He knew he should go back home while he could still see something. But he was too frustrated and angry to think rationally.  
  
Semi kicked something off the ground. Why him? Why couldn't he find his familiar?  
  
Every magician he had encountered had always told him that he would find his familiar sooner or later and that he shouldn't worry about it.  
  
But the older he got, the more helpless he felt.  
  
It wasn't that he felt lonely or something. He definitely wasn't, he kept telling himself. He had his friends. Even if Goshiki was more of a little brother than a friend.. But seeing the intimacy between his friends and their familiars somehow tugged at his heartstrings.  
  
It was that weird feeling in his chest and his will to get better, faster, stronger, that made him crave finally meeting his familiar. He wanted to step forwards. And he definitely wanted to stop receiving those stupid and pityful looks from some of the people in his village.  
  
Semi let out a sigh before he finally gave up. He wouldn't find his familiar today, that much he knew now.  
  
He walked home in silence, accompanied only by the light of a pale moon and the sounds of the night.  
  
  
When Semi woke up the next day he went straight to work:  
  
He cleaned the entire house perfectly and then when finished shut all doors and windows tightly, even locking the door.  
  
Mixed salt and cumin together and sprinkle it in the corner of his house to create a protective barrier.  
  
Drew a pentagram on the floor in his living room.  
  
Got a silver knife that was all clean and shiny.  
  
Prepared bandages and herbs that helped with pain.  
  
Made an amulet with cloves and the root of a cinquefoil to repel evil spirits and immediately put it around the neck to not forget about it.  
  
And finally he got the book about summoning spirits.  
  
Semi sighed when he was finally ready and went through the checklist in his head once again. He had done everything he felt he should've done and was prepared. He checked if he had really locked his door once again and went back to the pentagram on the floor. His hands shook slightly when he picked up the book and opened it on the right page.  
  
  
Semi receited the words in his head once more before he took a deep breath and started to chant:  
  
_“_ _Great spirit, I summon you onto this Earth. I call upon you._ _I summon you to stand before me and bind you to myself. Great spirit, I summon you.”_  
  
  
The air suddenly got heavy with smoke and Semi couldn't hold back a cough. He wanted to open a window badly, but he knew that he had to keep it closed and that the smoke would desolve in a few. Meanwhile he shielded his mouth and nose from it and closed his eyes, waiting.  
  
It took almost ten minutes for the smoke to disappear, but when it did and Semi finally dared to look up again, there was someone standing in the pentagram.  
  
Suddenly his heart was beating much faster when he realized that that someone was staring at him, narrow golden eyes piercing him.  
  
Semi straightened his back and looked back. He opened his mouth, but the other one was faster.  
“Hello.”  
  
Semi was taken aback. “Hello,” he replied with a nod. He watched as the other just sat down and crossed his legs before scratching himself behind his big, catlike ears.  
  
“You-”  
The other immediately looked up to him and the words got stuck in Semi's throat. The other shot him a grin.  
  
“What? Cat's got your tongue?” He seemed satisfied with himself.  
  
Semi shook of that weird feeling and cleared his throat. “You seem relaxed. Even though I've just summoned you and bound you to myself.”  
  
The other one rolled his eyes. “If you think your weird spell was enough to bind me to yourself, you're wrong.”  
  
“Huh? But according to the book what I did should be enough to bind a summoned familiar to myself.”  
  
The other's eyes narrowed and he slowly got up and stepped to the rim of the pentagram, unable to cross the lines.  
  
“So you think you've summoned yourself a cute little familiar, did I get that right?”  
  
Semi cocked his head and had to fight the urge to take a step back. The weird feeling in his stomach got more intense.  
“Haven't I?”  
  
The other one cracked another grin and somehow even though it was the other one who was trapped, it was Semi who felt cornered.  
He swallowed.  
  
“My name is Kawanishi,” the other one said and his voice resonated in the kitchen, making his cutlery and cups inside the cupboard rattle. “Congratulations, human. You just got yourself your very own demon.”  
  
Semi stared at him. Unbelieving. A demon?  
“That can't be!” he managed to say after a while.  
  
“And why is that?” Kawanishi raised his eyebrows at him. “Because your little book says so?”  
  
“No. It's because you look too weak to be a demon.”  
  
The somewhat amused expression fell from Kawanishi's face and a shudder ran down Semi's spine when he realized that the demon-not-demon-whatever-Kawanishi-is was offended. And greatly so.  
  
“Watch your tongue, human. I am plenty strong. Trust me on this.” His voice was cold and Semi had to resist the urge to wrap his arms around himself to shield himself.  
  
  
“I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that,” he hurried to apologize. “But if you're a demon, what are you doing here? I summoned a familiar.”  
  
Kawanishi seemed to relax a little but the cold look didn't leave his face.  
“You fucked up. That's why. You mixed up two spells and ended up summoning and inviting me into your world instead of the cute little familiar you wanted.”

  
Semi furrowed his eyebrows. This was bad. Like at least level 10 bad. And that's on a scale from 1 to 5.  
“What am I gonna do now?”  
  
Kawanishi let out a deep sigh. At least he didn't look angry anymore.  
“You have two options. The first one: you let me go and I'll have a little fun in your world before I get bored and return back home.”  
  
Semi already shook his head before Kawanishi had even finished his sentence.  
“I can't take responsibility for that. It's just. No. So what's the other option?”  
  
At this, Kawanishi showed him a crooked grin.  
“You make a deal with me.”  
  
Kawanishi's pointed tail twitched. If from anticipation or excitement Semi couldn't tell.  
“You've heard of them, right?” Kawanishi continued. “Mages who use demons instead of familiars to get stronger and better.”  
  
Semi licked over his dry lips.  
“I've heard of mages who use other magical creatures. But never demons.”  
  
Kawanishi rolled his eyes. “'Magical creatures' usually means demons. You humans are just too damn proud to admit that you get stronger with our help. Which is why you use the term 'magical creatures'.”  
  
“So you… offer to help me to get stronger and control my magic better? Whatever the fuck my magic even is.”  
  
Kawanishi nodded.  
  
“Where's the catch?” Semi crossed his arms and watched Kawanishi.  
  
“It's a deal. There is no catch. I give you what you want and you give me something in return.”  
  
“And what would that be that you'd want from me?”  
  
“Your life force.” Kawanishi stated that as if it was the most normal thing and to be expected.  
  
“My what?”  
  
“Your life force,” the demon repeated. “Basically some time of your life.”  
  
“Aren't demons usually about souls?”  
  
Kawanishi seemed exasperated. “That's just stupid old stories. What would I even want with a soul? It would just annoy me if it was to follow me all day. And eating the soul of someone who was so bitter and impatient to try to summon a familiar instead of searching for it? No thanks. I have a better taste than that.”  
  
“So you prefer my.. life force.” Semi repeated again. “How much?”  
  
Kawanishi thought about it.  
“I guess I'll go with the normal price of… ten years worth of life force for one year being your demon familiar.”  
  
“What?” Semi almost yelled at him. “But that's.. ten times the worth.”  
  
Kawanishi tapped his foot on the floor a few times and raised his eyebrows.  
“Congratulations on doing your math homeworks, human. Well I am not allowed to feed on someone else once I get a deal with you and after our little deal is done I'll have to wait for someone else to make a deal with me. Or be dumb enough to summon me in the first place. Which can be a very long time. Kudos to you for managing that, human. Anyway. A demon's gotta live from something as well. So?”  
  
  
Semi gulped.  
  
Having a familiar sounded great. Even if that familiar was a demon. Maybe even better, because demons, although they were talked about as mythical creatures that didn't really exist, were said to be strong. And he couldn't exactly let him go loose on the world, could he? It was his fault that Kawanishi was now on earth so he had to deal with it himself.  
But a demon as a familiar? Some people already reacted iffy if someone had a different kind of magical support.  
According to Kawanishi there _were_ mages who did that. Maybe still do. But should he be one of them?  
  
  
“Could I.. maybe have some time to think about it?” Semi asked. He was confused and his mind was a mess. He had to process all this new information first.  
  
“Not really. I hate having to wait. It's your choice. I won't harm you or any of those companions of yours you might have if you wish me to do so, because I'm just this kind. Despite being a horrible mage I kinda like you I guess. I mean I'm finally on earth again thanks to you. So let me go or make a deal with me. But decide quick. Either option won't end well if you anger me by letting me wait too long.”  
  
  
Semi's mind played all the different scenarios that might result from his choices.  
Kawanishi destroying whole towns and killing people for fun. Worst case. Definitely. But also possible. He didn't know what the demon was capable of after all. He could also end up pranking people, hurting them or breaking their stuff. Still bad enough, especially since they had nothing to do with it.  
  
Or he would lose ten whole years of his life.  
  
If he was destined to live just 31 years for whatever reason and made that deal with Kawanishi, he'd die on the spot.  
  
Shit.  
  
It was a difficult decision.  
  
But it was his fault that he had fucked up this bad. His fault that Kawanishi was on earth now.  
And he couldn't let other people pay for him being such a horrible mage.  
  
  
“Fine,” he said. His voice wavered a bit. “I've decided.”  
  
Semi watched as Kawanishi's ears reacted to his voice, twitching a bit.  
“I'll make a deal with you. And in return, you help me get better and stronger at magic. And you help me find out what my magic even is and how to control it.”  
  
“Many wishes for just a year.” Kawanishi licked his lips and this time, it was definitely anticipation.  
  
“Are you- are you gonna take my life force immediately?”  
  
“No. I'll take it after my job is done. That's a rule for us demons.”  
  
Semi stepped in front of him, careful to not accidentally break the pentagram until their deal was done.  
  
“Okay fine. So. How do we make this deal legit? Do I have to give you my blood or-?”  
  
Kawanishi's hand suddenly shot forwards and grabbed Semi's chin roughly before he pulled him towards himself.  
“Another stupid story. Honestly, I don't get how you humans come up with all that bullshit.”  
  
“But-”  
  
“Shut up. I'm gonna tell you.” Kawanishi tightened his grip and one of his sharp pointed nails accidentally scratched Semi's cheek. It was enough to shed just one drop of blood which ran down the side of his face.  
  
“To seal a deal, we have to kiss.”  
  
Semi's eyes widened in fear. He certainly had better ideas of how to lose his first kiss instead of using it to make a deal with a demon.  
  
But to his surprise it was less horrible than he had expected.  
Kawanishi's lips were soft on his and warm, not chapped or rough, as he had expected. And the pressure was nice as well. Semi felt himself blush a little.  
  
When the demon pulled back, Semi could see a little brightly blue aura in Kawanishi's mouth which he swallowed. A feeling of weakness overcame him and his knees shook sightly.  
  
“W-what did you do?” He asked the demon. Kawanishi grinned in reply.  
  
“I allowed myself to taste a bit of your life force already and I see, I'm in for a delicious treat.”  
  
“Don't do that again!” Semi took a deep breath and forced himself to stand upright.  
  
“I won't,” Kawanishi said. “From now on I'll behave. After all I'm your demon familiar.”  
  
  
Since their their deal was sealed Semi deemed it safe to destroy the pentagram and let Kawanishi leave it. Still, it didn't mean that he wasn't vary of him and stood alert. He didn't think that he could ever stand a chance against the demon but he'd still try. If he was to die he would not go down without a fight, that was for sure.  
  
However, Kawanishi didn't seem to be bothered by his behavior at all. He shamelessly walked around in the house as if it was his, opening cupboards and looking through Semi's stuff. It was a strange feeling for Semi, to hear someone else rummaging in the house, the sound of light footsteps over wooden ground. Strange, but not unpleasant.  
  
It was probably due to him not being used to not being alone. Not that it mattered.  
  
And after all he sold ten years of his life to a demon to get stronger. He would have to get used to him and trust him.  
  
  
“Say,” he heard Kawanishi's voice coming from his kitchen. “Do you have any potatoes by chance?”  
  
Semi raised his eyebrows. “No? Why would I have potatoes in my house?”  
  
Those words had barely left his mouth when Kawanishi's suddenly stuck out his head of the kitchen's door.  
“Are you fucking serious?”  
  
Semi crossed his arms. “Why? Is something wrong with that?”  
  
“Of course it is! How can a human not have potatoes at home? It is the only good thing you humans have ever kept alive. But you? You ignore that earthly gift!” The demon sounded honestly irritated, almost angry even. Semi raised his arms in defense.  
  
“Fine, we can buy some tomorrow, if you want to. But I don't want to go out today anymore.”  
Kawanishi squinted but then he nodded. “Fine.” He disappeared back into the kitchen again.  
  
  
It got late soon. After Semi got rid of the traces of his magical failure, he made some dinner – and got confused on why Kawanishi wanted some food as well which ended in a heated discussion about humans and their 'weird obsession with making up stuff about something they don't understand', as Kawanishi had described it.  
  
That day the mage found himself dragging himself towards his bed fairly early, in comparison to the time he usually went to bed. It wasn't really a surprise though. Both the preparation as well as the ritual which accidentally had gotten him a deal with a demon had left him drained of both energy and magic. Even if he was a mage, he was still human.  
  
Semi fell asleep in a matter of seconds.  
  
  
His shirt was drenched in sweat when he woke up. His breathing was laboured and for a moment Semi felt disoriented, not knowing where he was. The mage blinked a few times and finally recognized his room. With a sigh he let himself fall back into the pillows and he tiredly rubbed his face. Stupid nightmares!  
  
Semi almost jumped when suddenly something very soft touched his hand. Luckily his eyes got used to the dark so he could see that it was just a cat.  
  
Wait.  
  
A cat?  
  
“What the fuck?” he whispered softly. Was he dreaming?  
  
“Calm, down, it's me,” the cat suddenly said in a familiar voice.  
  
“Kawanishi?”  
  
“No, I'm your mother,” he deadpanned. “Of course it's me. Or did you expect someone else? Also I don't know why you suddenly woke up but you seem distressed.”  
  
“You.. you're a cat.”  
  
“Ah yeah right. I forgot to told you. I can transform into a cat. Every demon can do that. Well, the transforming part. The cat part is just for me. Other demons turn into different animals.”  
  
“Why are you here?”  
  
Kawanishi scowled – which was honestly weird, in Semi's opinion, considering that he was a cat.  
“Did you hit your head somewhere? We made a deal.”  
  
“No! I mean, yes we did – but, why are you in my room?”  
  
The cat shrugged – another really weird movement. “You didn't tell me where I could sleep so I followed you.”  
  
“You demons have to sleep?”  
  
Kawanishi sighed, obviously holding back his anger against the misinformation of his human once again.  
“Just because we don't get tired and necessarily have to rest it doesn't mean that we can't enjoy sleeping or resting.”  
  
“So.. demons can be lazy, too?”  
  
Kawanishi grinned, showing his sharp cat teeth. “I guess you could say that.”  
  
Semi chuckled and suddenly had to hide a yawn behind his hand.  
Somehow the demon had managed to distract him from his nightmare and calm him down. Even easily so. Another yawn escaped him and Semi closed his eyes.  
  
It was nice not being alone anymore.  
  
  
The sun seemed to have fun with teasing him, Semi thought as he squeezed his eyes together tightly. Why else would the rays of sunshine pass exactly through the small gap in his curtains in that exact angle to fall on his eyes? He groaned and shielded his eyes by draping an arm over his eyes to try and keep sleeping, but the damage was already done.  
  
The mage was awake. Or rather, woken up. He was still far from being awake.  
  
Semi sighed before he opened his eyes and blinked a few times. It took him a few seconds to realize that someone was staring into his eyes. And only now he noticed the additional weight on his chest.  
He screamed, almost _s_ _hrieked_ , as he shot up and pushed away whoever was sitting on his chest.  
Scratch the not being awake part. Now he was.  
  
  
From the ground, he could hear annoyed mumbling. A cat jumped onto his bed and suddenly Semi remembered everything.  
  
Wanting to summon a familiar. The demon. The deal.  
  
Also the fact that his demon could turn into a cat.  
  
“Oh. Kawanishi. It was you.”

  
“Nice to know that you haven't forgotten me completely. I already thought I'd have to retell of how you summoned me while I was taking a bath.”  
  
“Wait, really?”  
  
Kawanishi shot him an unimpressed look that Semi didn't know what to make of. Was he serious or was he teasing him?  
  
Being the cat he transformed into, Kawanishi started to clean himself which gave Semi some time to watch him closer.  
Now that it was day, he could see that Kawanishi's fur was entirely ginger, with the exception of a white spot on his chest.  
His fur was also longer than Semi had estimated. It made him look all fluffy and soft. Kind of cute.  
  
“What are you staring at?” Kawanishi asked him, unimpressed.  
  
“You look kind of cute, as a cat.”  
  
Kawanishi stopped cleaning himself and looked up at him.  
“Excuse me?” The demon said and shot Semi an angry look. “I always look cute.”  
  
  
Semi grew quiet after this and just watched Kawanishi clean himself until his stomach started to growl. He got up.  
“I'm gonna make some food,” he announced. That got Kawanishi's attention.  
  
“Don't forget about the promise you gave me!”  
  
“Potatoes. I know. I'll go out later to buy some. You can come with me if you want to but you'd have to stay a cat. No one can know that my familiar is a demon.”  
  
“Fine, if that's what you want. And that's good to hear. I want to enjoy being on earth and that is absolutely not possible without potatoes!”  
  
“Yeah yeah. I got you.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
  
While stirring the soup he made and checking on his rice, Semi was thinking about how to approach this whole.. _thing_ , he got himself into.  
  
He had a familiar now. A demon familiar. Who could help him getting better in controlling and also just overall improving his magic. Maybe even help him find out what the fuck his magic even was because he had no clue about that at all.  
  
His only problem was the time.  
  
He had one year.  
  
One single, miserable year.  
  
It would be gone in the blink of an eye and so would be Kawanishi, along with ten years of his life.  
He needed to make the most of it, starting today.


	2. Chapter 2

A satisfied moan left his lips when he stretched. Even though it was sunny outside it was still cold, but the air tasted fresh and Semi felt truely happy for the first time since what felt like an eternity. That was, however, until he heard a disgusted huff by his feet. He looked down to see Kawanishi there.  
  
“The ground is all wet and muddy. Disgusting. This is why I hate the earth.”  
  
“You could transform into a human and wear shoes?” Semi suggested.  
  
Kawanishi shot him an unimpressed look. “Weren't you the one to tell me that no one can know who I really am? Think before you talk, human. I am supposed to be your familiar. Not your pet demon.”  
  
The demon looked up to him and accidentally waddled through a muddy puddle the snow had created when it melted.  
“Eww. Disgusting.”  
  
Semi sighed and had mercy on him. “Come here. You can sit on my shoulder.”  
  
The demon eyed him warily and it looked as if he would decline his mage's offer, but in the end his disgust over the wet ground won.  
“Fine.”  
  
He let Semi lift him up and clean his paws before he put him onto his shoulder.  
“Hold on tight!” he said to the demon and immediately regretted it when he felt the demon ram his claws into his skin.  
“Okay, maybe a little less tight,” he whimpered and let out a sigh when the demon eased his death grip on him. “Better. Now lets go.”  
  
Kawanishi's tail twitched and brushed against Semi's ear.  
“To get potatoes?”  
  
Semi grinned. “Yeah. Time to get the potatoes.”  
  
  
It was easy to realize that it wasn't Semi's only intention when he went into town. The eyes of its citizens were on him once again, yet this time they were full of curiosity instead of pity. Something like pride swelled in Semi's chest.  
And then his ear suddenly started to hurt.  
  
“Did you- did you just fucking bite my ear?” Semi's hand shot to his ear and his head snapped towards his demon-familar, looking both equally scandalized and disbelieving.  
  
  
The demon seemed unfazed. “I could almost hear your stupid thoughts seeping out of your brain so I had to do something.”  
  
“Stop that! There are better ways to do that.”  
  
Kawanishi raised an eyebrow. “I could've scratched your face, if that's what you want the next time. But otherwise.. no. I won't stop. Like I said: I'm a familiar, not a pet.”  
  
Semi bit his the inside of his cheek. “Yeah, a really mean one, apparently. And still you could just say something instead of biting me.”  
  
“Ahhh. No. Your reaction is really nice.”  
  
Semi sighed. Arguing with Kawanishi was a lost cause. Unless…  
“That's less potatoes for you.”  
  
“Don't you dare!” Kawanishi threatened and Semi burst into laughter.  
  
“You be nice to me, and you'll get all the potatoes you want.”  
  
The demon grumbled. “I'm supposed to be the demon here.”  
  
_Human vs Demon – 1:0._  
  
  
As he had promised, Semi bought Kawanishi lots of potatoes, as well as other groceries he needed. The moment they came back home, the demon jumped from his mage's shoulder and stretched.  
  
“I suppose you'll be making potatoes for dinner today?” He phrased it like a question but his voice made clear that he demanded it.  
  
“You supposed right, but only after we get some magical learning done. One year is not much after all and time's running already. We should start. The sooner, the better.”  
  
The demon huffed in annoyance but complied. “Alright, fine.” And then he added. “Your potatoes better taste good, human.”  
  
  
Semi had switched into something more comfortable before he led Kawanishi outside into his garden. It was still wet and muddy, but at least Kawanishi was now allowed to be in his demon form so he was able to wear shoes.  
  
  
“Before we can start your… training – I can call it like that, I guess – I need to know how good you are. What you know already.” Kawanishi lazily waved with his hand. “You know, the basics. Show me what you've got, human.”  
  
“What exactly do you want me to do now?” Semi looked at him unsure and very, very confused as well as uncomfortable.  
  
The demon opened his mouth and then closed it again. Then he sighed.  
“Just.. make some fire.” He leaned down and picked up some twigs.  
  
“But it's wet.”  
  
The demon raised an eyebrow. “Even better. It should be easy for you. Come on!”  
  
Semi concentrated and stuck his tongue out between his lips. Kawanishi heard a sizzle from the twigs – something was happening. But as quick as the sound came, it also disappeared.  
  
The demon stared at the still completely intact twigs in his hands before his eyes moved onto Semi.  
“Why did you stop the magic? Are you afraid of hurting me? I'm a demon. Fire doesn't hurt me.”  
  
Semi mumbled something quietly.  
  
“Huh? Speak up, I can't understand you.”  
  
“I said,” Semi said, louder this time, “that I didn't stop it. I finished.”  
  
Kawanishi blinked at him. “Oh.”  
That explained a lot of things. For example how he accidentally summoned him instead of a familiar.  
Then another sigh left his lips. A sound he would probably let out many more times in the following year that he was stuck with this incompetent human.  
“Guess I gotta teach you from the start then.”  
  
  
“No no no no no! You need to concentrate! Stop letting your mind wander so easily.” Kawanishi's forehead was in wrinkles. He had been trying to teach Semi to make some fire for about two hours now but Semi just couldn't get it right.  
  
“I am concentrating!” Semi snapped back. Sweat ran down his face despite the cold weather and he panted.  
  
“Concentrate harder then.”  
  
Kawanishi was obviously annoyed and Semi was incredibly frustrated. It just didn't work!  
After another try, Semi let his arms fall to his sides. The twigs Kawanishi had picked up were still intact.  
  
Why? Why couldn't he set the twigs aflame? It shouldn't be so difficult!  
  
Suddenly Kawanishi stood in front of him and took his face into his hands.  
  
“Wh-What are you doing?” he panted, his face red. He had never been one for physical closeness on that level. Especially not with a demon.  
  
“Shut up and don't move,” Kawanishi said and Semi listened to him. The last thing he wanted to do is to piss off the demon even more.  
  
“Hmm. You didn't seem to be cursed or have any mental bond to restrain your magic. So it must be you.”  
  
“What does that mean?”  
  
“It means you fucking suck.”  
  
“Excuse me?” Semi spat at him but Kawanishi just shrugged.  
  
“It's true. You don't have anything holding you back such as a curse but you still can't even do simple magic. Hence you suck.”  
  
Semi simply glared at him in anger, unable to say anything without yelling. He was sure the demon wouldn't like that.  
  
“There's still hope though. After all you managed to summon me and that requires a certain amount of magical talent.”  
  
“So? What should I do then?”  
  
“First of all, you should take of your clothes.”  
  
“Take of my- Excuse me?”  
  
Kawanishi looked at him. “Take off your clothes.”  
  
“Why do you want me to take off my- I mean- to do that?” Semi stuttered.  
  
The demon sighed. “Listen, human. Patience was never something I excelled at. Besides we made a deal and I'm doing what you told me to do, which is teaching you magic. You gotta listen to what I say and _do_ as I say. Otherwise I can just lean back and relax for a year before I take your life force and leave. Your choice.”  
  
Semi looked at him but then complied. “Okay, fine.”  
  
  
Semi crossed his arms over his chest as he felt Kawanishi's eyes wandering over his body. He felt insecure and slightly afraid. After all it wasn't really common to stand topless in front of a demon. He stared at the floor.  
  
Kawanishi came closer until he stopped right in front of him. “Relax. I'm not gonna eat you,” he said but his cold tone didn't really help Semi.  
  
“What are you gonna do?”  
  
“You'll see soon enough. Now drop your hands already and don't move.”  
  
The demon pressed his index and middlefinger against his chest. Semi felt something like a faint electric shock and his skin felt hot where Kawanishi's fingers came in contact with it.  
Then Kawanishi did the same for his arms and then his forehead.  
  
“You can put your clothes back on.”  
  
Semi moved instantly. “So, what did you do to me now?” he asked curiously as he pulled the purple hoodie back over his head.  
  
“I gave you a bit of my magic as a starter. I think you have the magic in you. Enough of it, too. But for some reason you only grasp a bit of it when you try to use it which is why you end up with miserably failing to carry out your spell completely.”  
  
After Semi was properly dressed, Kawanishi took him outside again.  
“Now try it again.”  
  
Semi concentrated and felt the magic flow inside of himself. It was stronger this time. He could feel it vibrating. He pointed his fingers at the twigs and comcentrated as hard as he could.  
  
Suddenly he felt a burst of energy in his fingertips, so powerful that it made him stumble backwards a step or two.  
  
When he looked at the twigs, they weren't burning. Just barely smoking.  
  
The mage was about to get frustrated and curse when Kawanishi told him to look closer.  
  
Yeah, the twigs weren't burning.  
But just because they weren't there anymore.  
  
In their stead, there was a small pile of ashes, which got scattered by the wind in an instant.  
Semi smiled. He had never felt prouder of himself.  
  
By his side, his demon was grinning.  
  
  
They went inside after Semi had set a few more things aflame. More twigs, a branch, a tree… (Kawanishi had to put out the latter so Semi's house wouldn't catch fire).  
  
“So,” Semi rolled up his sleeves, “what kind of potatoes do you want?”  
  
That immediately got the demon's attention. He shifted into his cat form and jumped onto Semi's shoulder.  
  
“What do you mean by that question?”  
  
“Well, uhm, fried? Cooked? Baked? Mashed Potatoes? There are many different ways to prepare them.”  
  
The demon was quiet and didn't answer. When Semi turned to look at him, he didn't expect Kawanishi to stare at him as if he had just found the answers to all of his questions.  
“Different types of potatoes,” he whispered.  
  
Semi smiled. “Well, considering that you'll be here for a while, I'll just start with one dish and you can try all of them with time. But now get off me so I can work in peace and without getting your fur into the food.”  
  
  
When the potato bake was in the oven, Semi joined Kawanishi in his living room. The demon was curled up on a cushion, napping in peace.  
  
Semi used that opportunity to sit down and check his mail.  
  
To his surprise, he had gotten a letter from a friend living in the same village, just a few streets away from him.  
  
But Semi had the slight suspicion that it was not his stoic friend who had sent him the letter, but rather his quite lively familiar.  
  
At first it honestly was a mystery to him as how someone as calm and collected as Ushijima could end up with a familiar like Tendou. But then again, once he saw them work together, it all clicked. It made sense. They were born for each other and there was absolutely no doubt about it.  
  
  
'Semisemi. We haven't seen each other for a while. How about you visit us?' he read in letter.  
As he had thought it must have been Tendou who contacted him, because neither Ushijima nor anyone else besides him would ever call him 'Semisemi'.  
  
Semi continued reading Tendou's letter. Someone else might have been confused because the topics had a wide range of variety but not Semi. From something that Tendou wanted to tell him, over what had happened the day he had written the letter, to asking Semi if pigeons had feelings.  
  
“What is that?” he suddenly heard a sleepy voice.  
Kawanishi had woken up and now came over to Semi.  
  
“A letter I got from a friend. He's asking me to come over. I think about going tomorrow and I want you to accompany me.”  
  
“Why?” Kawanishi asked and stretched.  
  
“Because you're my familiar! It's just natural for you to be where I am.”  
  
The demon sighed. “I guess. Alright, I'll come with you when you meet your… friends. Just remember that I can't shift or they'll know.”  
  
“Don't worry about that. I'll just say that you feel more comfortable in your animal form. They mostly stay in theirs as well.”  
  
“They?”

  
“Well yeah you see-” Semi tried to explain but then Kawanishi just shook his head.  
  
“Whatever. I'm not really interested to be honest. Anyway. When is the food ready?”  
  
Semi closed his mouth and bit his lip, but then he replied to him: “Patience, Kawanishi. Potatoes need time.”  
  
Kawanishi sighed and curled up again.  
“Wake me when food's ready. I'm gonna take another nap.”  
  
  
Semi's alarm went off so he went into the kitchen and took a look at the potato bake.  
After making sure that the potatoes were cooked through, he put some of it on the plates he prepared and put them on the table before he went into the living room.  
  
“Hey, Kawanishi. Wake up. Food is ready.”  
  
Kawanishi didn't move at all.  
  
“Kawanishi.”  
  
But still nothing.  
  
Semi huffed and put his hand on the demon cat. Suddenly his eyes opened and he looked at Semi with such an intensity that the mage honestly feared for his life in that moment.  
  
“What?” the demon almost barked before he yawned.  
  
“You-you wouldn't wake up when I called you. Food is ready.”  
  
Kawanishi's mood lightened instantly. “Why didn't you say so in the first place? I'm coming.”  
Semi watched as the demon stretched and then turned into a human. It was so fascinating to watch him shift everytime he did.  
  
Kawanishi looked more than excited when Semi placed the food in front of him. The demon immediately put some of it onto his fork and took a bite – and suddenly froze in his movements.  
  
Semi watched him a little worried.  
“Is everything okay?”  
  
Kawanishi's arm sank back onto the table and he stared at Semi before a blush – _a blush_ – spread on his cheeks and he smiled happily. For a second Semi almost forget that he was a demon.  
  
“I've never eaten anything better before.”  
  
Semi grinned at him. “I do have my qualities, huh? I'm glad you like it.”  
  
But Kawanishi was too busy eating than bothering to reply to him.  
“Maybe your magic is making food,” Kawanishi then suggested when Semi refilled his plate.  
  
The mage shot him a strict look. “There is no such thing as food magic.”  
  
  
After his fourth refill with which he finished the potato bake Semi made, the demon was finally satisfied and sprawled himself out on the mage's couch.  
  
Semi withdrew into his armchair and pulled out a book.  
  
Some minutes of silence passed in which Semi read peacefully and Kawanishi just rested. But of course that peace couldn't last for long.  
“What are you reading, human?”  
  
“I have a name and you can use it, you know? And I'm reading some old fairy tales.”  
  
In the blink of an eye Kawanishi had suddenly turned into a cat and jumped into Semi's lap where he finally curled up again.  
“Which one?”  
  
Semi was surprised about his curiousity at first but then he just shrugged.  
“This one is called 'Godfather Death' and it's about...”  
  
  
Kawanishi listened to him intently.  
“Do you know,” he said after Semi was finished, “that in every fairy tale there's a bit of truth.”  
  
Semi closed his book and put it aside.  
“Do you know more about that? Then tell me.”  
  
But Kawanishi just stretched a bit and jumped from Semi's lap.  
“I'm tired,” he said, completely ignoring the mage's request. “Let's go to bed, I want to sleep.”  
  
Semi sighed but decided to let it be. He had been tired for a while as well now and they would meet up with Ushijima and his familiars tomorrow so they needed to be well rested. Especially around Tendou, who would surely not stop asking questions about his new familiar.  
  
“We need to make up a story about how we met for the friends we meet up with tomorrow,” he said as he turned off all the lights and walked into the bathroom to change.  
  
When he was finally ready and slipped into his bed, Kawanishi was already curled up over the place where his head usually rested. The cat looked at him.  
  
“We can talk about that tomorrow, human. For now, let's get some sleep,” he yawned and if Semi didn't know better, he would have thought that he was an actual cat familar.  
  
“Goodnight Kawanishi.”  
  
The demon didn't reply.  
  
  
Semi wanted to lie in his bed forever. He hated getting up, leaving the comfortable warmth of his bed on cold late winter days like this one especially when not even the sun had risen yet. Unfortunately for him, he had a demon sitting on his chest, who was just too keen on not letting him sleep any longer.  
  
“Come on, get up already, human. I want food.”  
  
Semi groaned loudly in response. “I thought you demons didn't have to eat.”  
  
“We don't.”  
  
“Then let me fucking sleep,” the mage groaned again and pulled the blanket over his head.  
  
The demon got up and jumped almost silently from the bed. In the next second, however, he already pulled away Semi's blankets. The mage whined.  
  
“What the fuck? Why are you so cruel? Let me sleep.”  
  
“I'm a demon,” Kawanishi replied simply. “It's my job to be cruel. And now get up before I think of getting cold water to pour over you.”  
  
  
After breakfast Semi felt a little more awake and he quickly got dressed.  
  
“We don't need to settle on a certain type of magic,” Semi suddenly said out of nowhere. “Many mages who have already found their familiar still don't know what their magic is.”  
  
He turned to the demon just to find him watching Semi intensely. “B-but we should probably settle on telling that I found you when I was out in the woods a few days ago.”  
  
“So,” Kawanishi said and licked his lips before he shifted into his cat form again. “You're going to lie to your friends?”  
  
Semi froze before he slowly turned to the demon.  
“It's.. not exactly like I could tell them the truth, right?”  
  
Kawanishi shrugged. “I'm not stopping you from that.”  
  
Semi remained silent after that, thinking.  
What would disappoint them more: summoning a demon or lying to them about it?  
  
  
Tendou was as loud as always when he greeted Semi. Despite him being Ushijima's familiar, he had quite a strong bond with Semi.

  
“Semisemi!” he yelled as he jumped into the mage's arms. Or rather flew. Because Tendou was a harpy eagle.  
  
“Hey there, Tendou,” Semi smiled and rubbed the familiar's head a bit.  
  
“Nice to see you, Semi.” Then his eyes suddenly fell on Kawanishi who sat on his shoulders again, just as he had had the day before. “And who is that?” he asked.  
  
Semi swallowed and hoped that he wouldn't sound as nervous as he felt.  
“This is Kawanishi. He's my familiar.”  
  
Tendou cawed. “You finally found your familiar? Congratulations!” Then he turned to Kawanishi.  
  
“Hey, I'm Tendou. I'm Wakatoshi's familiar. He's currently out but will be back in a few so you'll meet him then.”  
  
Kawanishi nodded. “I'm Kawanishi.”  
  
Nothing more. Semi looked at him from the corner off his eyes. Tendou cocked his head.  
“Oh, so you're the quiet type. That's fine, too.”  
  
Semi let go of the harpy eagle and watched as he flew to the couch. “Come on, sit down. Wakatoshi should be back in a few.”  
  
But as soon as he has spoken those words, they heard the door open and Ushijima entered his house.  
Semi, who had just sat down, stood up again.  
  
“You're already here. Sorry, I'm late,” his friend apologized to him but Semi just waved his hand.  
  
“Don't worry about it, I just came anyway.”  
  
“Do you want anything to drink? I just bought some lemonade.” Semi now noticed the bags Ushijima held.  
  
“Tea, if that's okay.”  
  
Ushijima nodded and turned towards his other familiar, Shirabu, who sat on his shoulder. “Can you put on some water?”  
  
The peregrine falcon nodded and left to do his task.  
  
The other mage put down his bags and started assorting his groceries. “I see, you're not alone,” he said as he eyed the cat on his friend's shoulder.  
  
“I'm not. This is Kawanishi. My familiar.”  
  
Ushijima nodded as if he had expected it. “Congratulations on finally finding your familiar.”  
  
“Thank you,” Semi muttered and felt his cheeks heat up. He just hoped that Ushijima would think that it was because of his praise, and not because he was ashamed.  
  
Ashamed of lying.  
  
  
After the tea was done, they sat down in Ushijima's living room, the steam from the hot tea rose from the cups. Kawanishi now lay on the couch next to him.  
  
“So, how has life been?” Semi asked. “Anything new?”  
  
Ushijima sighed which caused Semi to raise his eyebrows. Because he – Ushijima Wakatoshi – didn't sigh.  
  
“What's wrong?” he then asked slightly worried. He watched as the other mage put his hands on his two familiars.  
  
“Ever since people found out I have two familiars, they either want to fight against me to see who is stronger or they call me a liar and that I'm forcing my familiars to stay with me.”  
Both familiars angrily puffed their feathers.  
  
“I don't care if they call me a liar,” – at this Tendou and Shirabu started to protest that _they_ did though – “but it indicates that one of them doesn't belong to me which is just wrong.”  
He let out another sigh which just showed Semi how urgent it really was.  
  
“I see. And you say they want to fight you?”  
  
Ushijima nodded. “I tell them I don't want to but they insist.”  
  
“Turn them down again. They will leave if you ignore them.”  
  
The other mage didn't reply which is why Tendou did it for him. “If he ignores them, they start attacking us. Destroy our house with their magic.”  
  
“That's illegal!” Semi frowned.  
  
“Yeah, but it doesn't stop them from doing so,” Shirabu then said.  
  
Semi clenched his fists so hard his body started to shake.  
“These- these… I don't even have a word to describe them.”  
He jumped from his spot on the couch and started pacing in the room.  
“I'm so angry! Who do they think they are?” In his anger, he kicked the paper bin standing next to the wooden working table.  
“Sorry, Ushijima. I'll clean that up.” He bent down and started picking up the paper when there was suddenly a knock at the door.  
  
Tendou hopped on Ushijima's shoulder as his mage got up to answer the door. Semi could hear the voices.  
  
“So you're the mage with two familiars?”  
  
“Yes, that's me.”  
  
Semi hurried to clean up the mess he has made and scurried to his feet. “Kawanishi,” he said in a hushed tone and the demon immediately understood. He jumped into Semi's arms and then allowed Semi to put him onto his shoulders again.  
  
Shirabu was already by Ushijima's side as well.  
  
“I want to fight against you!”  
  
“I'm not interested in fighting you. You're too weak anyway.”  
  
Semi still waited in the back and he could see the unknown mage's face darken.  
  
“What was that? Do you think you're something better just because you have two familiars? You're wrong! I will prove you so!”  
  
“No, thank you,” Ushijima simply said.  
  
The unknown mage's face got red in anger but Ushijima didn't seem to notice.  
“Now, if you excuse me. I have a guest.”  
  
“Oh no, you won't escape that easily!” Without another warning, the mage released a shot of his magic towards Ushijima, which he easily deflected.  
  
“Ice?”  
  
“I'm an ice magician and I'm going to take you down!”  
  
Ushijima let out another sigh – the third one for today – and that was enough for Semi.  
“Move aside,” he said as he pushed himself in front of Ushijima.  
  
“And who are you?” the other mage asked him.  
  
“That's irrelevant.” Semi took a deep breath and straightened his back. “Leave and don't come back. Or you'll regret it.”  
  
The other mage didn't seem fazed by his threat. “Acting all so mighty. I see. I'll beat you first and then him!”  
  
Without another warning, he shot an ice blade at Semi who could move aside just in time to not get hit. “You can't even deflect my attack! You're weaker than him, aren't you?”  
  
Semi positioned himself. “We're all weaker than him.”  
  
The ice mage attacked him again, but this time Semi was ready. He deflected his attack and attacked himself, concentrating just like he had in practice with Kawanishi yesterday.  
  
“Enough! It's time to teach you a lesson,”  
  
Semi raised his arm and stuck out his hand.  
“Your nonsense ends here!” he yelled as he shot his magic at him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Please look at this beautiful art.](https://twitter.com/selpuku/status/830639737329168384)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> [And also at this.](https://twitter.com/selpuku/status/830636864268750848)
> 
>  
> 
> (;//u//;) 
> 
> \--------
> 
> Also very important: Happy Birthday Yamagata, my beautiful son!

“Your nonsense ends here!”  
  
That was what he had said, expecting to shoot a flame at the attacker as he had at the twigs yesterday. Instead, there was only a small puff of smoke that came from his hand.  
  
“B-but... I don't understand?”  
  
The other mage, who had created an ice shield, peaked at him and then started laughing.  
“Is that all you can do? Whoa. Some smoke. I am sooo frightened. Can you see me shaking in fear?”  
  
Semi felt humiliated. His cheeks burned in shame and he wanted to disappear. That's when he suddenly felt a paw on his cheek.  
  
“Now try again,” he heard from his shoulder. Kawanishi. And he sounded pissed.  
  
He hesitated at first, but then decided to trust him. After all he payed with ten years of his life for it. There wasn't much time for distrust.  
  
He sent another attack and this time it hit the mage full force. His ice shield melted and he was hit by it which caused him to fall to the ground.  
  
Semi approached him and stopped in front of the mage. “Never ever dare to even think about attacking people just like that again. If they turn you down, you fucking accept that. Do you understand?”  
  
“Y-Yes!”  
  
Upclose it smelled like burnt hair and when Semi looked down on the other mage he noticed that his eyebrows were almost completely gone. Oh. Whoops.  
  
Semi reached out with his hand to help the ice mage get up, but he slapped away his hand and jumped to his feet before he ran. Semi rubbed his nape as he watched him. A sigh escaped him as he went back to Ushijima.  
  
“Thank you. But you shouldn't have done this. I can deal with it.”  
  
“I know you can,” Semi smiled at him. “But maybe if they see that even a mage with one familiar can beat them they'll leave you alone.”  
  
Ushijima nodded and invited him back inside. Their tea had cooled down but Semi drank it anyway, even if Ushijima offered to make new tea. He settled back on his spot on the couch.  
  
“So fire magic,” Ushijima then said. “Is that what you specialize in?” Semi almost choked on his tea but managed to conceal it by clearing his throat.  
  
“Ah, no. At least I don't think so. I don't know yet.”  
  
Ushijima nodded, understanding. “It looked pretty strong, but if you're not sure yet then you should explore more.”  
  
“Yeah, you're probably right.” He swallowed and turned to watch Kawanishi, who had curled up by his side again, looking completely innocent. Only the slight movement of his ears gave away that he was awake and listening.  
Semi put a hand on the head of his demon.  
  
“I will.”  
  
  
Once they were back home, Semi took off his shoes and immediately let himself fall onto the couch. Kawanishi turned into his demon form and watched him.  
  
“I made a fool out of myself,” Semi then said.  
  
“You did,” Kawanishi agreed.  
  
“I just- I don't understand. Why is it that I can't fucking use my magic like everyone else unless you help me?”  
  
Kawanishi shrugged, resulting in a groan coming from Semi.  
“I'm a demon, not your magical therapist.”  
  
“I know.” Semi sat up and pulled his legs to his chest to make some space for Kawanishi. But Kawanishi didn't move to sit down. Instead, he grabbed Semi by his shoulder and pulled him up.  
  
“Enough of wailing like a baby. Time for you to go out and practice.”  
  
Semi blinked at him and wanted to protest, but then he closed his mouth again. The demon was right. He had to do something about it.  
  
  
“You let your mind wander too much.”  
  
“Stop getting distracted by every single noise.”  
  
“Think about what you want to do.”  
  
Still, Semi just couldn't get the hang of it. “I can't do it. Not without your magic.”  
The demon's eyes narrowed. “You do realize that it won't help you get better if I keep doing this? You'll get strong temporarily, yes. But after I'm gone in a year, you'll be back to being as weak as you are right now and I really doubt that this is your definition of 'wanting to get stronger', huh?”  
  
The mage bit his lip. “What should I do then?”  
  
“Keep training. Especially to concentrate because as far as I can see, this is one of your biggest problems. It just means that you have to work twice as hard as someone else.”  
  
  
It got dark, but Semi still couldn't do much more than puff out some ashes. Kawanishi shook his head and went inside, expecting his human to follow him, but when he turned around, Semi was still in his spot.  
  
“I'll stay a little longer,” he breathed. His whole face was sweaty, because even if it looked like he was doing nothing, it was still exhausting.  
  
“Do what you want,” the demon shrugged and closed the door behind him.  
  
  
He must have fallen asleep on the couch waiting for his human, his first thought was when he woke up the next day. Kawanishi stretched a bit and walked into the bedroom, only to see that he wasn't there. Weird for him to be up this early already. Especially after training. He looked in the kitchen next, but again, no sight of Semi.  
  
Where was that human? He had to prepare his breakfast potatoes!  
  
Kawanishi was about to check in the bathroom when he walked past the door to the backyard and saw him standing there. He swayed slightly but there was a smile on his lips. He turned into his demon form and stepped outside.  
  
“You got up this early to train? I must admit I didn't expect that of you.”  
  
Semi turned to him and his smile turned into a grin.  
“What do you mean, 'got up early'?”  
  
Kawanishi was about to ask if he had hit his head or something when he realized the true meaning of his human's words. “You didn't go to sleep? At all?” His eyes widened slightly before he just broke into laughter. He, a demon, was laughing. Because of a human.  
“I realized you were weird, but honestly, you're just straight out crazy.”  
  
Then his whole behaviour changed in a matter of seconds and he became serious. “You do realize that overworking yourself is not gonna help? At all,” he said, narrowing his eyes.  
  
A shiver ran down Semi's spine when Kawanishi looked at him like that. “But I did it. Look.” He clenched his fist and when he opened it, there was a small flame inside his palm. It extinguished when Kawanishi suddenly grabbed his wrist, his nails painfully digging into Semi's skin.  
  
“You'll go and rest. Now.” When Semi looked up at him he saw that Kawanishi's eyes were completely black. It made him swallow.  
“Okay.”  
  
He couldn't bother to drag himself into his bed, so he just let himself fall onto the couch.  
  
Suddenly there was a blanket draped over him.  
  
“You humans always sleep with a blanket, don't you?”  
  
“Aww, Kawanishi,” he mumbled half asleep already. “I didn't know you cared that much about me.”  
  
“Stop talking nonsense and sleep.”  
  
“Okay. Goodnight.”  
And Semi fell asleep.  
  
  
Voices. There were voices in his dream and they all sounded so familiar, yet he couldn't track the source of that noise.  
A groan escaped his lips and the voices became quieter for a moment, before one of them got louder.  
This voice.. who was that?  
  
“Semi.”  
  
Someone was calling him.  
  
“Are you awake?”  
  
Awake? Was he asleep? He couldn't tell.  
  
Suddenly a sharp pain caused him to rise from where he was lying. He blinked disoriented until he realized that he was in his living room. He must have fallen asleep on the couch.  
He pushed his hand through his hair, noticing how sticky and gross it felt. He needed to shower. Urgently.  
  
Then he remembered the pain that woke him. His ear hurt. Almost as if someone had-  
He suddenly snapped up and sitting on the backrest of the couch was Kawanishi, looking all innocent in his cat form.  
  
“You-” he started angrily but was interrupted on him.  
  
“You have guests.”  
  
Semi blinked and moved his head to look behind Kawanishi. Standing there were Ushijima and his familiars, along with Goshiki, another friend of his.  
  
“I'm sorry we came unannounced,” Ushijima apologized. “Goshiki wanted to meet your familiar after he had heard about it from Tendou.”  
  
“It's fine,” Semi said and yawned. “I had to get up anyway.” He blinked sleepily and folded the blanket.  
“Do you guys want anything to drink? I didn't prepare lunch yet. If you want to stay feel free, but it may take a while.”  
  
“Don't stress! It's fine, Semi. We don't need anything. Right, Ushijima?” Goshiki asked enthusiastically.  
  
The other mage nodded.  
  
“We just came because I wanted to see your familiar with my own eyes. Congratulations on finding each other, you two.”  
  
“Thank you, Goshiki.” Semi had to swallow the lump that formed in his throat when he lied. Again.  
  
“Man, I wish I could finally meet my familiar as well. It must be amazing.”  
  
“It could be amazing if he wasn't such an airhead,” Kawanishi suddenly chipped in.  
  
“Oh, so you can be funny as well,” Tendou cackled from Ushijima's shoulder. “I like you already.”  
  
“I don't know what's 'funny' about being rude, Tendou,” Semi said as he poured hot water into a teapot.  
  
“That's because you're no fun, Semisemi.”  
  
“Wow, I'm so jealous,” Goshiki suddenly said, standing next to him. “For you to tease each other like that already. You must have a really strong bond. I've read about it in a book.”  
  
Semi looked at the younger mage. He knew how much he wanted to finally meet his familiar. He was probably looking forward to it more than anyone else. And for him to think that Semi has finally found his familiar when he hadn't yet…  
  
The mage couldn't help but feel bad about it. So he slapped Goshiki's back.  
“You'll find your familiar soon. If anyone deserves it, it's you.”  
  
Hearing Semi's words, Goshiki's eyes lit up. “Thank you! I'll try my best.”  
  
After a little bit more bickering between Tendou and Kawanishi, Goshiki and Ushijima decided that it was time to leave. They apologized again for visiting him unannounced and thanked him for having them.  
  
When Semi closed the door behind his friends, he let out a sigh.  
  
“Why are you sighing?” Kawanishi asked him and Semi turned to look at him.  
  
“I didn't expect that lying to them would be this hard.”  
  
“You could always tell them the truth.”  
  
“And disappoint them even more? No, thank you.” Semi sighed again.  
  
Kawanishi turned back into his demon form and rolled his eyes.  
“Whatever. Your decision. Anyway. You should eat something.”  
  
At the mention of food, his stomach started to growl.  
“That's actually a good idea. So, which potato meal do you want to try next?”  
  
  
After eating – they had settled on mashed potatoes with sour cream – Semi decided that he should get back to practice. Kawanishi eyed him varily.  
“No overworking. If you feel tired, you rest. That‘s an order.”  
  
“What are you? My mum?” Semi joked but was suddenly pressed with his back against the wall.  
  
“Do not disrespect me! I am a demon and _you_ are _nothing_ but a mere human. Don't fucking forget that!” Kawanishi hissed at him.  
  
When Semi nodded, the demon let go of him again.  
  
“Now train, or do whatever you want. I have to leave. I'll be back in the evening.” The demon scowled.  
  
“Where are you going?”  
  
“That's none of your business.”  
  
Semi pressed his lips into a thin line.  
“Fine. See you then.”  
  
The demon left and Semi sank to the floor, his legs shaking.  
He was unable to get himself to get up and train.  
  
  
When Kawanishi came back in the evening, he found Semi sitting in the same spot as he had been when he had left. He wasn't looking at him, too busy focussing on the small fireball in his hands.  
  
“You shouldn't do that inside if you don't know how to extinguish a fire.”  
  
Semi shrugged, still refusing to look at the demon. “I didn't feel like going outside after all.”  
  
“Show me,” the demon suddenly said.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Show me what you learnt while I was away.”  
  
Semi scrambled to his feet and took a few deep breaths before he faced Kawanishi and extended his hand. He stuck out his tongue and closed his eyes.  
A fireball appeared in his hands again, about the same size as the one he had before.  
  
“Think about it being bigger.”  
  
“I'm trying.”  
  
“Try harder then.”  
  
“I'm already trying harder!”  
  
Kawanishi suddenly stepped behind Semi and put his arms around him, resting his hands on Semi's.  
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“Concentrate!” the demon simply said and Semi did.  
  
  
A drop of sweat ran down his forehead when he heard Kawanishi mutter.  
“This is weird.”  
  
His concentration immediately dropped and with it, the fireball disappeared.  
“What is weird?” he asked.  
  
“Your flow of magic when you use it. It's weird.”  
  
“So?”  
  
“Nothing. I just said that it's weird.”  
  
“Wow. Really helpful, Kawanishi.”  
  
The demon's eyes glinted dangerously so he decided that it would be the best to retreat.  
  
“Anyway, I'll shower now. After that I'll prepare dinner. Don't set the house on fire.”  
  
“I won't. That's your job.”  
  
  
Dinner was quiet and for some reason the air around him felt heavy. Semi sighed and took another bite of his food. He looked up chewing and found Kawanishi, while supporting his head on his hand, staring at him. Semi swallowed his food.  
  
“W-what?”  
  
“Your mood. It's different than before.”  
  
Semi cocked his head. “What do you mean?”  
  
“It has been brighter before. And now it's all dark.”  
  
“Are you saying you can see my mood? Is it like an aura or what?”  
  
Kawanishi huffed and extended his hand to flick his head. It seemed almost gentle.  
“You should seriously stop assuming. No. Since we've made a pact and it's my duty to babysit you in a way, I can also feel your mood. Feel is the keyword here. I cannot actually see anything around you concerning that. It's constantly nagging me. And now it feels different than before. Has been feeling different ever since I came back.”  
  
Kawanishi raised his eyebrows and Semi understood what he wanted from him.  
  
_Tell me why._  
  
But he wasn't planning on doing so. As Kawanishi has made clear, he was a demon, not a friend to confide into.  
  
“You must imagine things,” he said curtly and continued eating.  
  
  
After dinner he was too tired to read like he usually did. The sleepless night before still clung to his bones and even if he had slept a little he felt weary and too exhausted to do anything else than change his clothes and fall into bed.  
  
Despite him still being a little angry (and also a little afraid if he was honest with himself) he let the door open, inviting Kawanishi inside. When the demon curled up on his pillow, Semi turned off the light and was fast asleep just a few minutes later.  
  
  
He felt better when he woke up the next day. He didn't have time to be bitter about a demon. Instead, he felt like using his time to improve and get better. Besides, if he looked at it from a different angle, Kawanishi was right. The demon wasn't there to be all buddy buddy with him or to play friends. They had a deal and should keep their relationship, if they could even call it like that, on a professional base.  
  
  
Right after breakfast he went outside to practice again. The following few weeks were the same for him.  
  
Waking up. Breakfast. Practice. Lunch. Practice. Dinner. Practice. Sleep. And then the whole process started anew.  
  
But the outcome at the end of every day was the same.  
  
While he had learnt to create a small fireball out of his magic, he couldn't seem to grow any stronger. The ball remained the same size, no matter how hard he tried.  
Different methods didn't help him either.  
  
  
“Why?” he yelled frustrated at the end of another wasted day. “Why can't I just fucking get better? I keep practicing day and night but nothing changes. I'm still fucking weak!” In his anger, he kicked against the couch full force, yelling when his toes hit it. “Fucking shit!”  
  
Unlike him, Kawanishi seemed to be the calmest person on earth. Or well, the calmest demon. He sat on the couch, his legs crossed and his pointed tail in his lap.  
  
“Did you think you'd get better over night just because a demon is teaching you? How naive of you.”  
  
“Of course I don't think that!” Semi spit out. “But it's been almost a month already and I'm still at where I started! Almost one month which I wasted!”  
  
“I wouldn't say you wasted it. Your movements have gotten much better. You seem to be faster, too.”  
  
“What do my movements help me or how fast I am when I can't even protect myself?”  
  
That got Kawanishi's attention. “Why would you need to protect yourself?”  
  
“Why wouldn't I want to protect myself?” Semi asked him back. “It's nice to know you can protect yourself if anything ever happens. Besides...”  
  
“Wait,” the demon interrupted him. “Explain that to me.”  
  
“What? That it's nice to know that you can protect yourself?”  
  
Kawanishi nodded and Semi wanted to get angry, but when he looked at Kawanishi he found something like genuine interest in his expression.  
  
“It's just… you go out almost everyday as a human. Either to meet with friends or go to work or because you have to do some grocery shopping. You have to do that especially often if you have to cook for potato addicted demon.”  
  
He smiled a little at his joke and Kawanishi somehow seemed amused.  
  
“You go out everyday and you don't know what will happen. Maybe it will be an easy trip. You go out, do what you have to do, and then you come back. But then you may start asking yourself, what if something happens? Maybe that day someone decides to mug someone and that someone turns out to be you. Maybe you will end up in a situation which demands strength in order for you to get out of it without getting hurt. Or maybe there's an accident and you're the only one around to help. There are lots of situations that can suddenly happen and if you're not prepared, you're fucked.  
Just think about that mage who had attacked Ushijima. If Ushijima wasn't strong he couldn't protect himself from such people.”  
  
Kawanishi thought about it for a moment. “So basically because you humans are weak from the beginning you want to get stronger in order to feel safe. Or at least safer.”  
  
Semi blinked and then shrugged. “I guess that's how you can sum it up. Yeah.”  
  
“I see.” Kawanishi nodded. “Anyway, you wanted to add something else. On why you want to get stronger.”  
  
The mage bit his lip and nodded. “There is another reason. Actually...” he took a deep breath. “I always wanted to travel. To see the world. The world is so big and I'm sick of being stuck at the same place. I got a taste of what it means to travel when I moved from my parents' home and ever since then I've been craving to do that again. But while back then I've been traveling to move, I now want to travel to see the world and meet more people.” He sighed. “I have to get stronger for that goal, because there are many strong people out there and some of them use their strength for malicious reasons. And I refuse to fall victim to them.”  
  
Semi clenched his fists so tightly that they started to shake.  
  
Suddenly the demon rose from his seat.  
  
“Actually, travelling sounds like a nice idea. And if you want to do that so badly, there's no better opportunity then now.”  
  
Semi furrowed his brows. “Did you not hear what I just said? I'm still too weak. The first bandits that would decide to rob me would have an easy game and I'd have to go back. If they have mercy and let me live, that is.”  
  
Kawanishi leaned down and stared directly into Semi's eyes. His face was so close to Semi's, that their noses were touching. The mage swallowed when he saw the mischievous glint in the demon's eyes.  
  
“Don't worry, human. You have me by your side. They wouldn't even get near to you before I kill them.”  
  
A bead of sweat ran down Semi‘s face when he felt Kawanishi‘s breath on his skin. “I guess we'll have to talk about the killing part again, but otherwise your offer seems interesting. I'll think about it.”  
  
Kawanishi moved back, giving Semi private space again. “Good. You should rest for now, human. You seem exhausted.”  
  
Semi nodded. On his way to the bathroom, he stopped in the door. “I still have a name. You can call me Semi, you know?”  
  
  
That night, he lay awake despite being tired from practice. After some time it had become a familiar aching in his bones and muscles and he welcomed it. It meant that he had given his all.  
His mind, however, was not focussing on pratice this time, but rather on Kawanishi's offer.  
  
How he said that he would travel with him.  
  
It wasn't ideal. He wanted to travel the world and for that he needed to be able to protect himself. What if for some reason they'd be seperated? Or if Kawanishi just broke his promise? No, scratch that, he wouldn't do that. Getting Semi into a dangerous situation that could potentially mean the loss of his gain of their deal would be stupid. Still, it seemed a little careless to go out if Semi couldn't protect himself at least a little.  
  
On the other hand, if something really was wrong with him and he just couldn't get stronger for whatever stupid reason, than this would be his only chance.  
With a sigh he turned on his side and closed his eyes.  
  
For now he should sleep. He could think about it tomorrow.  
  
  
The following day was the first day without practice ever since he had summoned Kawanishi and Semi noticed immediately that a day of rest was long overdue. He felt way more relaxed and balanced throughout the whole day and he asked himself why he didn't allow that for himself earlier.  
  
Because he was fucking stupid, that's why.  
  
Semi shook his head and hummed an old song while he cleaned his house.  
Something else he should've done earlier, because now the tasks were piled up to a big, long cleanup. But he had just shrugged before he had started. It was his own fault after all.  
  
Kawanishi sat on his spot on the couch and watched Semi the entire time.  
  
“Lift your feet,” he simply said to the demon when he vacuumed the floor and the demon listened to him without protesting. Instead he kept following the vacuum cleaner with his eyes.  
When Semi got too close to him with the vacuum cleaner, Kawanishi hissed at it and, shifting into a cat in one swift motion, disappeared in Semi's bedroom.  
  
Once his house was clean again, Semi let himself fall into his armchair.  
  
“This is good. I should have done that a long time ago.”  
  
“This seems so useless though,” Kawanishi said as he came out of his room again.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Cleaning your house. It'll just get messy again.”  
  
Semi raised his eyebrow at him. “Yeah, but if I don't clean up in between then it'll be much more worse. I'd literally suffocate in dirt and dust.”  
  
Kawanishi shrugged. “Anyway, are you done yet?”  
  
“I guess I am.”  
  
“Finally. That loud monster you used is the most evil thing I've ever encountered. And I'm a demon. Anyway. Have you thought about travelling?”  
  
Semi froze in his movements and then started to fiddle with the hem of his shirt.  
“I have. I want to do this but-”  
  
“Then it's decided.”  
  
“Wait a second! It's not that easy. I mean, someone will have to look after my house. I can't just leave it like that! And- and- and-” he started to stutter. “I need to look up what I need for a long journey and get that before we can even think about going anywhere. I'll need enough money to get us food at least a couple of times and a bed for every night as long as it's winter because we can't just sleep outside in this kind of weather. So you see, if we're to leave there's still a lot to prepare before we can even think about it.”  
  
But Kawanishi just cocked his head. “You're making everything too complicated. If you really need something, tell me and I'll get it for you. And if it's for watching your house, I can just ask one of my friends to look after it. You'll have the best protection included.”  
  
“You have friends?” Semi stared at the demon. Then he shook his head. “No. This is not what I should ask. You want me to let a _demon_ watch after my house?”  
  
“You let a demon watch over yourself so why not your house?”  
  
“I-” Semi stopped and thought about it. “I guess you have a point. Still I'd rather have one of my friends look after my house. I don't want rumours to come up-”  
  
“It's not rumours,” the demon interrupted him.  
  
“Fine,” Semi said a little annoyed now. “I don't want anyone to find out the _truth_. Happy now?”  
  
“Very.” Kawanishi shrugged.  
  
“Great we settled this then. So, give me some time to gather everything I need in order for us to travel and we'll do this, alright?”  
  
Kawanishi's let his tail wiggle in excitement. “I'm looking forward to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember kids: vacuums are older than cars


	4. Chapter 4

Semi sat in Ushijima's living room, slightly nervous as he stirred his tea to dissolve the sugar.  
  
“You said there was a reason for your visit today?” Ushijima asked him and Semi nodded.  
  
“Yes. Actually… no wait. Let's do it like this.” He took a deep breath. “Do you remember when I came into the town and we became friends?”  
  
Ushijima nodded. Of course he remembered. He remembered how he met all of his friends!  
  
“And one night, we asked each other random questions to get to know each other better, right?”  
  
He nodded again. Yes, he remembered that as well.  
  
“Back then one of your questions was on whether or not I have something I want to achieve and I said no.”  
  
“Did that change?” Ushijima asked but Semi shook his head.  
  
“Well, no. But back then, right after I answered your question, I also told you that there was something I really wanted to do.”  
  
Ushijima looked at him, understanding suddenly where this was going. “You told me that you wanted to travel.”  
  
“Exactly.”  
  
“And I guess you want to do that now?”  
  
Semi nodded. “I've found my familiar and I just.. I guess I'm finally ready for it. I want to see the world with my own eyes.”  
  
Ushijima took a sip of his tea. “You're still weak though. It's dangerous out there.”  
  
If it has been anyone else talking to him like that Semi would have been pissed, but he knew that Ushijima didn't mean it in a malicious way. No, he was worried about Semi.  
“I know. But I think travelling might help me grow and get better, you know? Maybe I'm stuck with my magic because I'm stuck _here_ , you know?”  
  
Ushijima nodded. He had never heard about such a case before, but then again many people haven't heard about a mage with two familiars either so who was he to judge?  
  
“To be able to leave, I need your help though.”  
  
“What do you need me to do?” Ushijima asked right away. It made Semi smile. He really had great friends.  
  
“I need someone to look after my home while I'm away. Can you do that for me?”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
  
When they parted and Semi went home, he had a bright smile on his face and a slight blush spread over his cheeks.  
  
It was happening! It was really happening!  
  
Well, not yet. He still had lots of things to prepare before they could leave.  
But they _would_ leave, eventually. And that was all that the mage needed to know for now.  
  
  
“Can you stop muttering already? It's starting to piss me off,” Kawanishi said as he lay sprawled out on the couch a week later.  
  
“Huh? What?”  
  
“You keep muttering nonsense almost like a mantra. What does 'flashlightsnonotflashlightscandlesbuttheywillgetwet' even mean?”  
  
“Oh. I'm thinking about the stuff to pack for our journey. What do you think is better? Flashlights? But then we'll need batteries as well. Or candles. But if it starts raining they'll be useless.”  
  
Kawanishi sighed. “How about you just use your magic to make some fire to light the way?”  
  
A moment of silence.  
“Oh, right.”  
  
“Besides, like I already said, you're making this far more complicated than it is. The more you take with you, the more you will have to carry.”  
  
“You say that so easily but I'd rather be prepared.”  
  
“And I'm telling you you won't need most of it. Keep it simple, Semi.”  
  
“You just don't understa- wait. What did you say?”  
  
The demon perched up from his spot.  
  
“Did you finally understand that it's stupid? I said that you don't need most of it.”  
  
“No, after that.”  
  
“To keep it simple?”  
  
“No, even after that?”  
  
Kawanishi knit his eyebrows together. “I don't know what you mean.”  
  
“You said my name. It's the first time you used it.”  
  
“And that makes you so ridiculously happy?” Kawanishi said with a look at a brightly smiling Semi.  
  
“I guess it does.”  
  
Kawanishi snorted. “Humans are fucking weird. Honestly, I'll never understand you.”  
  
“Well, that's your loss then. Anyway. Now get up and come with me. I want to go and buy some stuff for our journey.”  
  
“Just saying, human: if you try to buy anything unnecessary, I'll stop you from doing so.”  
  
  
He ended up letting Semi buy a stupid head flashlight, but only because he bought him a potato masher. _A potato masher_. He could have mashed potatoes anywhere now! Just how amazing was that? Kawanishi was more than satisfied.  
  
Other then this, they only bought necessary stuff. Lots of tissues for Semi, since he insisted on it, saying that he got a runny nose easily. Other than this, they bought some medication, food in cans, bandages, a sharp swiss knife and a second one in case he loses the first one. You never knew, right?  
Semi was really nervous. He receited the list he had made of what else he had to get under his mutter again and again, only stopping when Kawanishi threatened him again to make him shut up if he didn't do so himself.  
  
  
The night before their journey was supposed to start, Semi couldn't fall asleep. He'd leave behind what he knew to see new, unknown things. See new villages and towns and cities, the nature and farmland! Maybe even mountains or the sea! He was going to meet different people, too! It was all just too exciting.  
  
He tossed and turned but just couldn't find sleep. Semi didn't know what time it was when he suddenly felt a paw on his forehead, claws dangerously poking slightly into his skin.  
“Stop moving around so much already. It's fucking annoying.”  
  
“But I can't fall asleep.”  
  
“You want me to knock you out then?”  
  
“...that was a joke right?” Semi's voice was full of doubt.  
  
“It's one of those 'yes I'm joking right now but I'd be totally down for it if you agreed to it' moments.”  
  
“Why did I have to summon exactly you? You're possibly the most horrible demon I could have gotten.”  
  
“You get what you deserve. Besides, I'm not that bad. I mean, I do look kinda hot at least.”  
  
Semi snorted.  
  
“What was that snort for?”  
  
Semi didn't answer.  
  
“Human, why did you snort? Answer me!”  
  
But Semi still didn't reply.  
When Kawanishi checked on him, he found Semi fast asleep.  
  
  
Semi stood in the doorframe and turned back. His eyes wandered over the furniture, the pictures on the walls, his favourite armchair and his bookshelf.  
  
His home.  
  
He wouldn't get to see it for a long time. The thought made his heart feel a little heavy. It was a bittersweet feeling. But he was ready for for this journey. More than ready.  
  
Semi closed the door behind himself and locked it. The next time he'd open this door, he'd be a totally different person.  
  
Hopefully a better one.  
  
  
The sun had just started to rise. Outside, in front of his gate, Ushijima was waiting for him. Tendou sat on his right, Shirabu on his left shoulder. Kawanishi sat next to Semi's backpack, looking bored as he licked his paw. The mage exhaled loudly and handed his keys over to Ushijima.  
  
“Take good care of it.” He smiled at his friend.  
  
“Of course.”  
  
Semi knew that his friend wasn't one for hugs, especially in public, so he just slapped his shoulder instead.  
  
“I'll miss you. Take care of yourself, Ushijima.”  
  
His friend showed him one of his rare smiles in reply. “You, too. Be careful out there.”  
  
Semi reciprocated his smile. “I will.”  
  
In the next second though, Semi was suddenly staggering back as Tendou leaped into his arms, pushing the mage back with his weight.  
“Semisemi, I'm gonna miss you.”  
  
Semi scratched Tendou's head. The familiar suddenly shifted into his human appearance and hugged him tightly. (Another reason he had first wondered about why exactly Tendou was Ushijima's familiar. He was far too affectionate for it.)  
  
The mage hugged him back and rubbed Tendou's back.  
“It's not like I'm leaving forever, Tendou. I'll come back. But I'll miss you, too. You and your annoying jokes.”  
  
Tendou sniffled. “But you'll be gone for a long time. You don't even know when you'll come back!”  
  
It hurt Semi to see him like this. It must be really devastating for the familiar if he wasn't even playing along with his jokes. “But that just means that there'll be more stories to tell you. Now stop crying. We'll see each other soon.”  
  
“Promise me to be careful!” The familiar stepped back a bit and gripped Semi's shoulders tightly. His eyes were red and swollen, as tears and snot ran down his face.  
  
“I promise.”  
  
Tendou nodded and wiped his face before he leaned down and addressed Kawanishi.  
“Protect him.”  
  
“You don't have to tell me. That's a given.”  
  
Tendou seemed satisfied with that answer and nodded. He turned to Semi and whispered a quiet “goodbye”, looking into his face as if to memorize it, before he shifted into his animal form again and flew away.  
  
They watched him leave.  
  
“I apologize for him,” Ushijima said but Semi waved it off. “It's fine. I know how emotional he can get. Besides, I think I would have been more worried if he hadn't reacted like that.”  
  
Ushijima nodded.  
  
“Take care,” Shirabu simply said, nodding at Semi.  
  
The mage grinned back at him. “You, too.”  
  
  
Semi took a deep breath and turned to Kawanishi. “Shall we?”  
  
The demon nodded and Semi shouldered his backpack first before he picked Kawanishi up to put him onto his shoulders.  
  
“You need any help?” Ushijima asked.  
  
“No, I think I can manage it myself. I have to.”  
Semi smiled at his friend one last time and squeezed his forearm.  
“Goodbye Ushijima, goodbye Shirabu. Tell Tendou I said goodbye to him, too. See you soon.”  
  
“Goodbye. Take care.”  
  
  
Semi turned back to them at the end of their street to wave one last time. They waved back to him.  
When he continued his path, he saw from the corner of his eyes that Kawanishi was watching him.  
  
“It's beginning, huh?” the mage said.  
  
“It is,” the demon replied and then watched the sunrise they walked towards.  
  
  
They made their first stop around noon. Semi didn't want to stop, keep going. His journey had just begun, but his growling stomach forced him to stop.  
  
He stepped from the path and spread his blanket on the ground to sit on it. The ground along with the grass was wet and Semi felt the cold creep even through his blanket. Kawanishi jumped from his shoulder and sat on the blanket as well.  
  
“We should have waited until it was a little warmer,” the demon said disgusted.  
  
“I don't have that luxury. Remember? You'll be gone in not even eleven months,” said the mage, biting into a sandwich. He took out another one and held it towards Kawanishi. The demon looked at it and then at Semi.  
  
“You should eat it yourself,” he then said. Semi kept shoving it into his face.  
  
“Take it,” he said with a smile on his face. “I've made enough of them.”  
  
Kawanishi rolled his eyes and then told Semi to put the Sandwich onto the blanket because he refused to be fed by a human. He was a demon. And if demons were proud creatures, Kawanishi was one of those who were especially so.  
  
After they were full and satisfied, they wrapped up their belongings again and continued on their way. They had to find an inn or something similar to get a room for the night before it got dark. It would be freezing in the night after all.  
  
  
They were lucky. Around 10pm, as the clock on the wall inside told Semi, they found an inn which they could stay at. It wasn't very expensive, too, which was a huge bonus. After all he had to be careful with his money.  
  
The smiling innkeeper knocked at his door to tell him that while they didn't have any fresh warm food, they could offer him some reheated food. Costing much less than if it had been prepared freshly.  
  
Semi wasn't picky so he nodded, saying that he'd very much like it. And with a quick glance at Kawanishi he added.  
  
“And if you have some potatoes left, too I'd like them as well.”  
  
  
He wasn't ready to sleep yet, even if he was already in bed and all he had to do was close his eyes and drift off.  
  
There was just too much going on in his head. Their first day had been calm, not as exciting but at the same time the most exciting day he had ever since he found out that he was a mage.  
  
It felt weird.  
  
This bed wasn't his and this room wasn't his and it didn't feel or smell like home. Everything felt strange but it was also comforting.  
Kawanishi was resting on the pillow above his head again and let out a sigh in his sleep. It was quiet, but Semi could hear his peaceful breathing. Did demons have to breathe?  
Listening to the constant calming sound of it finally lulled the exhausted mage to sleep.  
  
  
When he ate breakfast, he had a little small talk with the innkeeper. He was around 60 years old Semi would say. His black hair was in curls and his brown eyes held warmth and kindness in them. Semi told him that he had just started travelling like he had always wanted to, earning himself a knowing smile.  
  
“I've been like that too in my youth,” the innkeeper admitted. “But then I had to take over the inn from my parents. Let me tell you, son, it's good for you to keep chasing your dreams, especially when you're still this young.”  
Semi listened to him intensely. “Don't give up.”  
  
When it was time to part because they had to leave, Semi looked the innkeeper straight into his eyes. “I'll do as you said and keep chasing my dreams. Not just for myself, but for both of us. To make your dream become real as well. I'll come back to you soon and then I'll tell you about all the adventures on my journey so you can experience them as well.”  
  
The innkeeper smiled at him.  
“Thank you, son.”  
  
  
Kawanishi had been somewhat quiet throughout the whole morning so Semi turned to look at him.  
  
“Is something wrong?” he asked the demon.  
  
Kawanishi looked back at him. “What makes you ask that?”  
  
“You're quiet.”  
  
“So are you.”  
  
“Because you don't talk.”  
  
“Right back at you.”  
  
The mage sighed deeply.  
“Fine, then don't tell me.”  
  
Some quiet minutes passed between them.  
“There's nothing wrong. I was just thinking.”  
  
“About what?”  
  
“Something you probably won't get. Demon stuff.”  
  
“Wow, such confidence you have in me. Well, but I guess it's better for me to not get involved into that matter too much, am I right?”  
  
“Definitely. But now you should look where you're going or you're going to straight-”  
  
BANG.  
  
Semi's nose immediately started to hurt at the impact.  
“Ouch! Fucking shit!”  
  
“- walk into that tree.”  
  
Semi glared at him. “Too late, Kawanishi. Too late.”  
  
  
The mage still rubbed his nose some hours later.  
  
“Stop that already,” the demon said annoyed but Semi just huffed.  
  
“Well, no. It still hurts so I'm gonna rub it as long as I want.”  
  
“Rubbing it won't help it hurt less. Besides, instead of tending to your precious nose you should rather watch your path so it doesn't happen again.  
  
  
Travelling to the next village took them some time since Semi stopped every few steps to take in the scenery. He wasn't even bothered by the cold, though he usually liked to complain about it 24/7.  
  
“Hey hey Kawanishi, let's play a game to pass the time.”  
  
“A game?”  
  
“Something like 'I spy with my little eye'.”  
  
The demon turned his head to look at him.  
“What is that?”  
  
“You don't know? Oh well, let me explain then. First you look around and choose a thing. Let's for example take that tree over there. You're not allow to tell me what you chose though. Then you say 'I spy with my little eye something that is green and brown' for example. You can say anything to describe it further though. You could also say something like 'something that has leaves'. Though that would make it fairly easy in this case.”  
  
Kawanishi nodded. “And then?”  
  
“Then it's my turn and I have to try to guess what you chose. If I guess right, it's my turn. If I can't guess it right or take too long and give up it's your turn again.”  
  
“That's it?” The demon asked.  
  
“Yes. That's it.”  
  
“It's weird? What purpose does such a game have?”  
  
“It's just to pass the time when you're bored? Like, you have nothing else to do, no topic to discuss and no story to tell but you still want to fill the silence so you play the game.”  
  
“You humans are weird.”  
  
“Are we? Then what kind of games do you demons play?”  
  
“We don't play games. Why should we do something that ridiculous?”  
Semi raised his eyebrows. “No games? Wow, must be really fun in hell. What about demon babies? What do they play? Wait, do you even _have_ demon babies? Is that something that exists? Do you have to raise small demons, changing their diapers? Okay that's getting really weird now.”  
  
Kawanishi sighed. “We don't have games such as you descibed to me just now. However we do have something that we call a 'game' but I doubt you'd call it like that. And to answer your other questions: no, we don't have demon babies. We do, however, have demon teenager and kids.”  
  
Semi looked at him in fascination.  
“How come you don't have demon babies? And tell me about your games then! I want to know more about your species as well.”  
  
Kawanishi yawned as he stretched a little.  
“Because when human babies die they don't go to hell. They've done nothing wrong in their lives yet so it would be really weird for them to end up there. And those games are more like a battle, I guess. You meet up and fight. And whoever gives up or dies first loses.”  
  
“Wow pretty brutal,” Semi muttered. It took him a second. And another one. And a third one.  
“Wait, what? _Human_ babies? So you're saying that you demons are-”  
  
“All demons have been human before, yes.”  
  
“Holy shit.”  
  
“It's more like 'unholy shit' but otherwise I agree with you.”  
  
“You've been human before as well then?”  
  
Kawanishi gave him an annoyed look. “Well, I'm a demon and just like I said _all_ demons have been human before. So your conclusion is right, Mister Detective, and I have indeed been human before.”  
  
“How was your life back then? Did you have a family? How long before did you even live?” Semi was asking him all kinds of question, sounding almost like an excited child.  
  
“I don't remember, okay? No one does. But even if I did, what makes you think I'd tell you? You're just a human” Kawanishi snarked.  
  
Semi acted all shocked. “You wound me, demon! After all I could end up being your boss after I die.”  
  
But he was laughing, happy to know at least a little more about his demon now.  
  
  
They reached the Town of Fukurodani at night. But despite the late time, the town was still busy. There were people everywhere and the whole time was full of lights. Most of them were lamps or neon signs, but some of those lights were magical. Semi could immediately tell the difference. The magical light seemed warmer, more... homely. Cozy.  
  
It immediately made Semi relax a little and he could feel that Kawanishi was the same. They were also shining in different colours. Red, yellow, green, blue, orange, pink, yellow, gold. It was a beautiful sight.  
  
Semi stopped to watch it, especially when said lights suddenly started to move and create patterns in the air that were just too beautiful. He put down his heavy backpack and sat down on a bench to watch that spectacle.  
  
“Isn't it amazing?” he whispered to Kawanishi to not disturb the magical moment. “To come here right when something like this happens! It's like it was made especially for us!”  
  
After a while, the light faded and it left Semi behind in a happy daze. He took one deep breath before he got up and stretched. Then he leaned down to pick up his backpack – just to see that it was gone.  
“What?”  
  
He turned around, look under the bench and on the bench. It wasn't there. It wasn't in the bushes.  
His backpack was just… gone! Then realization dawned on him. He had been robbed. It must have been a piece of cake, with him being so easily distracted by those lights.  
  
How could he have been so dumb? Fucking shit!  
  
“What's wrong?” Kawanishi asked him.  
  
“I guess we just got robbed. All our things are gone.”  
  
  
“Well, how does something like that happen? Shouldn't you have looked after our stuff?” Kawanishi's voice had an accusing tone which made Semi snap.  
  
“You could've looked after it as well! You have been there with me!”  
  
“Yeah, but I'm just your familiar.”  
  
“But you're a motherfucking demon!”  
  
When he saw that Kawanishi was starting to get irritated, he took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
“Whatever. We need to get that bag back. Now.”  
  
Kawanishi nodded, agreeing with him.  
“You're right I guess. And since I'm such a _good_ familiar,” he glared at Semi, “I'm gonna help you with this. Just go whereever I tell you to.”  
  
“Fine.”  
  
  
“How exactly do you know that we have to go this way?” Semi asked him after they turned into a dark alleyway.  
  
“I've put my mark on the potato masher. It's mine now. So if it ever gets lost, I can find it easily.”  
  
“And since it's in my bag, we know where it is! That's really useful. Who would have thought that your potato love would save us this early.”  
  
Kawanishi chose to not reply to this and rather concentrated on finding the right way.  
“Now turn right.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
  
“So that's where the thief is hiding?”  
  
“I can sense the potato masher in there so yeah. This must be it.”  
  
“Do you think there is more than one person inside?” Semi asked, suddenly feeling a little sick of the thought of opening the door and confronting the thief. What if they were stronger than him?  
  
“I can take them down anyway. Now open the door. I want my precious potato masher back already and then find a place to sleep. I'm tired.”  
  
“You didn't even walk a single step on your own.”  
  
“I'm still tired.”  
  
“But you're a demon and you don't have to sleep.”  
  
“I can still be tired even if I do nothing all day long and don't have to sleep. And now go. I'm with you.”  
  
“Ugh. Demons,” Semi muttered and rolled his eyes as he opened the door. He tried to ignore the hammering of his heart in his chest and the way his hands felt really clammy.  
  
It was dark inside. But only for a moment. Suddenly the lights turned on and Semi suddenly felt the same magical warmth that he had felt when he saw the other lights in the town before. These were just a warm white light though, enough to illuminate the warehouse Semi just stepped into. Though, warehouse was probably the wrong name. It was more of a storage room. A big storage room. With lots of furniture. On his left side there was a door leading to another room, probably. If Semi hadn't been so nervous he probably would have described it as cozy.  
  
There was no one there, but Semi's eyes immediately fell on the backpack in this room.  
_His_ backpack!  
  
He ran towards it and picked it up, immediately checking if there was anything missing.  
It was all there, even his money, and Semi sighed deeply in relief. He had always been so worried about bandits on the streets that he didn't think about possible thieves in the towns and cities. He would definitely be more careful now!  
  
The mage got up and shouldered his backpack. He got what he wanted so he had no reason to stay here any longer, but his easy plan was crossed when there was suddenly someone standing behind him, grabbing him by his collar.  
  
“Now, not so fast! Where exactly do you think you could go with with our stuff?”  
  
  
“Your stuff?” Semi tried to hide the fact that he was panicking. The guy who grabbed him was huge and muscular, and from the way he held Semi he seemed to be really strong as well.  
  
“This is my stuff!” he then said. “You stole it!”  
  
“I did no such thing. I just came back from work!” the other said and he sounded so honest that if Semi wouldn't have been the one who got robbed he would have believed him.  
  
“Sure thing!” he said instead and glared at him. “Now, if you'd let go of me, please. I am tired because I've been traveling this entire day and I want to get some rest now before tomorrow.”  
  
“Not while you still have our stuff! Leave it here and you're free to go.”  
  
“Are you fucking nuts? You were the one to- wait. You said 'our', right? Means there's something else who is with you. If you truely do not know about this, then it must be your partner who robbed me! They distracted me with light bubbles such as these,” he paused and pointed to the ceiling before he continued, “ except that they were all brightly coloured.”  
  
The guy still stared at him, but instead of being angry, he had his eyebrows knit together in confusion now.  
“But- this can't be! He told me he had stopped.”  
  
“I'm telling you how it was!” Semi insisted knowing that he had him now. “How else would I know about the lights otherwise? They kinda led me here.”  
  
It was only half a lie. He had sensed that it were the same kind of lights that he had seen before, even if it had been Kawanishi who had led them here. But that buff guy didn't have to know that.  
“So would you now _please_ let me go? Or are you planning to hold onto me forever?”  
  
  
He indeed let go of him, and then, as an apology for being so rude to him, asked him if he'd like a tea. Semi wanted to decline it at first, afraid that that guy might spike it with something at first and rob him again, but then again if he had really wanted to take his stuff he would've tried to just take it from him. There was no need to rob him by putting something into his tea he might not even drink. Besides he still had Kawanishi who wouldn't hesitate to kill that guy in case he tried something with him.  
But mostly he was just really cold and needed something warm in his stomach right now.  
  
  
He was easy to talk to and after some warming up Semi found himself telling him about the impressions he already had from the few days of his trip over his third cup of tea when suddenly the door opened and another man stepped inside. He froze when he spotted Semi on the couch.  
  
“Akaashi!” Bokuto, as the buff man had introduced himself, jumped from his spot and ran towards him with a smile on his face. “Welcome back.”  
  
Akaashi nodded. “Who is that?” he asked and then pointed his chin at Semi.  
  
“Oh, he! His name is Semi and-”, he suddenly remembered the reason for Semi's presence.  
  
“He said you stole his backpack and brought it here. Is that true?”  
  
Akaashi shrugged. “I guess it is.”  
  
“Akaashi!” Bokuto whined.  
  
“But he told you and instead of throwing him out, you decided to invite the guy I robbed for tea? Amazing Bokuto.”  
  
“He doesn't deserve this! Besides, you told me that you would stop once I find work.”  
  
“Old habits are hard to break, Bokuto”  
  
“Uhm, not to interrupt your little quarry there, but I'm still here, you know?” Semi cleared his throat, staring at his tea a little uncomfortably.  
  
“Right, sorry!” Bokuto apologized to him and nudged Akaashi forward.  
  
With a sigh, the other man stopped in front of him.  
“My name is Akaashi Keiji. I'm sorry for robbing you.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but I have a hard time figuring out how to continue this. Additionally there's exam after exam I have to write and finals to prepare for so please bear with me orz

Now there was four of them. Kawanishi was now snoozing next to Semi, while Akaashi was in the kitchen, preparing himself another cup of tea.  
  
“Now I would like to know what that whole robbing thing was about?” Semi raised his eyebrows questioningly at them. Bokuto started to fiddle with the hem of his shirt.  
  
“I guess we do owe you an explanation, huh?” Bokuto mumbled quietly and then sighed.  
He watched Akaashi for a few moments before he started to talk. “We used to be thieves-”  
  
“Used to. Sure.”  
  
“Let me finish! We used to be thieves until a while ago. Both of us. I have been one since I was a child. We met when I tried to rob Akaashi. Then we became friends after a while and Akaashi ran away from home for personal reasons and I ended up finding him again and taking care of him. But it's hard to provide for more than one person by stealing when you're alone so I taught him how to steal and he helped me from then on. I didn't want to teach him but… the circumstances had made me do it,” Bokuto said.  
  
Akaashi, who just came to join them, stared at Bokuto. “Why are you telling him this?”  
“Akaashi!! Because we owe him now!”  
  
Akaashi put the cup of tea on the table and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “We don't owe him anything. But since you already know half of the story I'll tell you the rest.”   
He stared right into Semi's eyes and the mage found himself sitting up straight.   
  
“Recently Bokuto found a job and made me promise to stop stealing stuff but old habits are hard to break. Plus we still are always short of money so everything helps us. Though I guess that depends on how you look on it. Others have even less than we have.”  
  
  
Semi nodded. He understood their situation now. Not that it justified it. Robbing someone was still a crime.  
  
“What made you steal from me?”  
  
Akaashi shrugged. “You seemed like an easy target. Walking into town all bright eyed with just that one big backpack that obviously holds all your belongings. Thieves look for people like you.”  
  
“O-oh,” Semi said quietly. “Any tips then for me, so that I don't get robbed again?”  
  
Akaashi crossed his arms. “Technically I shouldn't tell you this but since I'm _owing_ you,” he eyed Bokuto, “for stealing from you, I guess I have to.”  
  
Semi could see from the corner of his eyes that Bokuto's serious expression had turned into a soft smile.  
  
“It's really simple, to be honest,” Akaashi then said and got Semi's attention again. “Just act like you're no stranger to the town. Because if you don't then thieves will assume that you'll be unsure of what to do. You have no one to turn to and don't know where to go to ask for help. If you do though, they'll back away. Well, most of them. Some of them won't care and rob you anyway so advice number two: always stay alert and don't just simply put down your backpack and leave it where you can't see it. Other than this just, yeah, be careful and watch your surroundings. It helps you notice when something's off _before_ something happens.”  
  
Semi made a mental note to act like this the next time. He wouldn't risk getting robbed again, of that he was sure.  
  
“I am surprised though.” Semi looked up when Akaashi continued to speak. “I didn't think you'd be able to find our hideout.”  
  
“Home!” Bokuto said with a hint of sadness in his voice. “It's our home.”  
  
Semi just shrugged. He couldn't exactly tell him that they had been able to trace them because a certain potato addict wanted his potato masher back.

  
“Anyway,” Akaashi said. “I hope that since I basically told you our secrets and gave you tips on how to not get robbed the next time, you won't report me to the police. Otherwise I'd have to use… _drastic measures_ to prevent that.”  
  
His eyes were piercing Semi and if it hadn't been for the warmth of Kawanishi's small figure against his leg, he would have jumped up and just ran.  
  
“I won't,” he said, relieved when he sounded calmer than he felt.  
  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Semi almost screamed when a panther just casually strolled in, followed by a polar fox. But since neither Bokuto not Akaashi seemed to be bothered by it, he relaxed again.  
  
“Welcome back, Kuroo!” Bokuto grinned and waved. “You too, Konoha.”  
  
“I didn't know we have guests,” the polar fox said.  
  
Akaashi nodded. “We met due some… circumstances. This is Semi.”  
  
“ _Circumstances_ , huh? You stole his things, right?” the fox said and grinned. “I am Konoha. That big guy over there is Kuroo. We're Akaashi's and Bokuto's familiars.”  
  
'That big guy over there Kuroo' was currently busy with resting his head on Akaashi's lap and receiving scratches as if he was a little kitty.  
  
“Familiars? Wait, you're both mages?” Semi was beyond confused. “I mean, I expected it of Akaashi for his lights but I didn't know that you're one too, Bokuto.  
  
“Uhh, yeah. Guess I forget to tell you.” Bokuto scratched the back of his head.  
  
Neither Akaashi nor the familiars looked particularily surprised.  
  
Suddenly Bokuto looked very excited. “You know, Semi, Akaashi is really amazing!! He's a Mage of Light. Like, you see these light bubbles right? He made them! Isn't that cool?”  
  
He didn't even wait for a reply before he continued.  
  
“And I am a Mage of Thunder.” He grinned brightly, obviously proud of himself.  
  
“I should've guessed, with that loud and boisterous voice of yours,” Semi muttered more to himself but Akaashi heard him anyway and even cracked a small smile at this.  
  
“Right?” he said as he scratched Kuroo behind his ears. The panther started to purr, which woke Kawanishi from his slumber.  
  
Bokuto stared at him. “Kuroo, my bro, my everything. Why don't you ever purr for me? You're my familiar, aren't you?”  
  
Kuroo just poured louder as if to tease Bokuto. Konoha shook his head.   
  
“I guess you should've chosen me as your familiar instead, Bokuto,” he joked.  
  
“Uhm, not to interrupt anything,” Semi then said, “but I think I'd like to leave. It's getting late and I'm tired from travelling and I still need to find an inn or something like that so I think that I should go.”  
  
Bokuto shook his head. “Why don't you stay with us? I mean, we don't have much but the couch is comfortable and it's not much of a difference to feed one person and one familiar more. Right, Akaashi?”  
  
Akaashi shrugged. “I guess.”  
  
“I don't want to intrude-” Semi said but Bokuto interrupted him.  
  
“You don't! I mean, you can leave if you want to, but like you said it's already late and stuff so it'd be easier for you to just stay with us.”  
  
His eyes were all bright when he looked at Semi.  
  
Semi sighed and looked at Kawanishi who blinked sleepily at him.  
“Okay, we'll stay. Thank you for your offer.”  
  
  
He pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself. The blanket was thick, but for some reason he felt cold nevertheless. A shiver ran down his spine and he curled in on himself, trying to get warm.  
  
“What's wrong?” he heard Kawanishi ask him.  
  
Semi just shook his head, but then settled on answering him. “Nothing. It's just... I'm really cold,” he whispered.  
  
“Want me to warm you?”  
  
“What? How?”  
  
There was a moment of silence and Semi was almost sure that Kawanishi was staring at him as if he was stupid.  
  
“Shouldn't it be obvious? I join you in bed. If you forgot already, here a reminder: I'm a demon. Which means I am warm. So I can warm you.”  
  
The mage felt himself blush. Now that he said it he really felt stupid for asking. But sharing a bed? With a demon no less?  
Well, practically he already did that but that was when he was in his animal form. If he imagined Kawanishi's whole body pressed against his, holding him to warm him-  
  
“What? No!” he said a little too loud to interrupt his thoughts and Kawanishi slapped his paw against his forehead.  
  
“Don't yell at me in the middle of the night. It's annoying. Why not?”  
  
“W-what if they see us? What if they see _you_?” Semi whispered as he rubbed his forehead.  
  
“You think that I'd just nap like I do when I'm like this? Do you think I'm stupid, human?”  
  
Semi quickly shook his head in the dark. “No, but-”  
  
“Then what's the problem?”  
  
“Well, it's a- you know.”  
  
“A what?”  
  
And with that, Semi didn't know what to say anymore. Nor did he want to. His cheeks heated up at the thought of them sharing a bed but he didn't feel exactly keen on lecturing a demon on personal space in the middle of the night.  
  
When Semi didn't answer for a while, Kawanishi sighed and curled up again.  
  
“Well, your decision. If you don't want to, then that's your own fucking problem.”  
  
His breathing evened out again after this and Semi listened to it.  
After a while, he fell asleep himself, lulled by Kawanishi's breathing.  
  
  
“GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!” Bokuto yelled as he entered the room Semi was sleeping in. The mage groaned under his blanket and he heard Akaashi say to him in a much quieter voice “Bokuto, please keep quiet. We have a guest over.”  
  
“Oh, right.”  
  
It was too late though. The damage was done. He was already awake.   
  
But Semi decided to be a little lazy and cuddle into his pillow a little more. He curled up and pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself, had it moved to expose his shoulder and back, when he suddenly remembered his talk with Kawanishi last night. He was aware that the demon would probably say similar words in the future and offer something like sharing the bed again due to his lack of knowledge about humanity and its concepts so he knew he _should_ explain it to him. He withheld a sigh. Why was having a deal with a demon so hard? It should really be easier!   
Or at least come with instructions.  
  
  
Once he realized that he was fully awake, Semi decided that it was pointless to keep lying in bed so he got up.  
  
“Good morning,” Akaashi greeted him, looking over the rim of his mug. “Bokuto just left to get us some breakfast. Would you like some tea or coffee?”  
  
“A coffee, thank you.”  
  
Semi quickly got dressed before he joined Akaashi at the table.  
  
“Sorry again for yesterday,” Akaashi said, looking into his coffee. “For stealing your backpack, I mean.”  
  
Semi waved his hand. “It's already forgotten. I mean, I have it back now and that's all that counts. Just gonna pretend that you found it after its idiot owner was too captivated by coloured light bubbles.”  
  
Akaashi smiled at that.  
“So, you travel around?” Akaashi asked him then and Semi nodded. “And you're a mage, given that that cat is your familiar and not just a pet.”  
  
Semi nodded again. “Yeah he's my familiar. Just a little quiet at times, when he can't shut his mouth at other times,” he said, remembering all those questions he had asked him.   
  
Kawanishi gave him a stink eye. “Just because I decide to not spill stupid nonsense like you do all the time doesn't mean I'm quiet,” he then said, causing Semi to blush a little. “Shut your mouth.”  
  
“Why? Because I'm right?” he asked and licked his paw.  
  
“No, because you're being annoying.”  
  
“That's part of my job description.” Well, he wasn't entirely wrong about that.  
  
Semi sighed. When he looked back at Akaashi, he found a soft smile on his lips. “You two seem like a good team.”  
  
'If you knew...', Semi thought. “Thank you,” he then said.  
  
  
After Bokuto came back and they had breakfast, they offered Semi to show him their town, which he gladly accepted.   
  
Semi was fascinated. Even though the Town of Fukurodani was fairly close to the village he lived in, it was completely different. This town was brimming with life. People were everywhere, stray animals strolled through narrow alleys and it was so loud. But not the annoying kind of loud, which made you want to press your hands against your ears to shut it out. It was a busy loud, which was simply a sign that the town was alive. Semi was excited.  
  
“So,” he said cheerfully. “Is there anything I need to see in this town?”  
  
Bokuto rubbed his hands. “Was hoping for you to say that. Follow me.”  
  
  
First, he took him to a big plaza. Semi had seen big markets before. In his old hometown when he had still lived with his parents. But it had never been something like this.  
It wasn't just big, it was _gigantic_. Countless salesmen were standing at their stalls, loudly calling for passersby to stop and take a look at their goods. Meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, sweets, spices, even toys and clothes. It was stunning.  
  
“Looks great, doesn't it?” Akaashi said calmly from his left side.  
  
Semi could just nod in awe. “I've seen a big market before, but never _this_ big. It's amazing.”  
  
“It is, but unless you want to be crushed, you probably shouldn't stay here for too long. Now is not the right time for it. We can come back later,” Akaashi said and then looked to Bokuto. “So, what's the next destination, Sir?” He grinned and Bokuto almost literally _beamed_ at his words.  
  
“Ah, I know exactly! Let's go.”  
  
  
After some walking they reached a big fountain, which Bokuto told him something about. But it wasn't the history of this place, as Semi first thought it would be, but rather than adventures Bokuto had had involving this fountain.  
  
“...and one time, I had to jump into the water and hold my breath to stay under water for like ten minutes so that the police wouldn't catch me.”  
  
“It was barely one minute you managed because you were so excited, Bokuto. You came up to take breaths every few minutes. You were just lucky that it was winter and that the police didn't think that someone would ever hide in that ice cold water. You were sick for almost three whole weeks after that.”  
  
Bokuto pouted. “At least I escaped! It's not my fault that they chased me.”  
  
“You stole a golden ring.”  
  
“It was your birthday! I had to get you something!” Bokuto cried and Akaashi smiled fondly.  
  
“Not at the cost of your health, but I still appreciate it.”  
  
His hand subconciously wandered to the necklace on his chest, where a ring was dangling. It shimmered golden in the cold early spring sun. Semi smiled.  
  
  
The next place they took him to was a shrine. There were less people here than at the other places, so it was really quiet and peaceful. But when they got closer, Semi felt Kawanishi's claws in his shoulder.  
  
Oh. Right.  
  
He stopped in the middle of the path.  
  
“Is something wrong?” Bokuto asked him curiously.   
  
“Uhm, no. Nothing's wrong. But I'd rather not get closer to that shrine. I'm fine with watching from here so it doesn't lose its.. ehh…”  
  
“Magic?” Bokuto suggested with a grin.  
  
“Yeah exactly!”  
  
“That's fine. I have one more place to show you.”  
  
“After that we can go back to the plaza and get some food there,” Akaashi suggested and Semi nodded.  
  
“Sounds like a plan,” Semi quickly agreed, not noticing the look Akaashi gave him.  
  
  
This time it was Bokuto who just stopped suddenly. So suddenly that Semi almost walked into him.  
“You need to close your eyes now. I want it to be a surprise.”  
  
Semi was a little sceptical.  
“I don't really like surprises.”  
  
“Pretty please? Just this one time?” Bokuto looked at him almost like a big, cute puppy.  
He looked to Akaashi for help, but the other just shrugged.  
  
“Do it or don't. I'd say it's worth it.”  
  
Still, while Semi had decided to trust them, he didn't trust them _this_ much that he would just let them take him somewhere.  
What if they just wanted to win his trust so they could attack him once he closed his eyes?  
Semi knew they probably wouldn't. He had spend almost an entire day with them and he liked to say about himself that he could read people very well most of the time and these two mages definitely didn't seem like bad guys.   
  
But still, the fear was there.  
  
“Sorry,” he then said. “I'd rather not.”  
  
“But-” Bokuto tried to argue, but didn't continue when he saw Akaashi shaking his head.  
  
“Fine. Then just follow me.”  
  
The rest of the way they were walking up a hill in complete silence.  
  
When they finally reached their destination, Semi stared at the sight with an open mouth.  
  
He hadn't even noticed that they had gone that far away, and that far up. Because they stood on the hill and before them was the whole Town of Fukurodani. The wind blew the people's chatter up there, even if it was so quiet that Semi couldn't understand what they were talking about. It was still bright outside, but the first people were already beginning to light up the streets.  
  
He didn't know how long they stood there in silence when Akaashi cleared his throat.  
“We should probably go back so we can still get something good at the market.  
  
Semi nodded, not tearing his eyes away from the sight.  
“Yeah, we probably should.”  
  
“I don't know for how long you plan on staying in Fukurodani,” Akaashi then said, “but we could go up here again, if you really like it that much.”   
  
The mage nodded again. “Yeah, I'd like that.” Then he turned to Bokuto. “Thank you for showing me this place. It's amazing!”  
  
Bokuto grinned happily. “I knew you'd like it! Everyone does.”  
  
  
They didn't walk through the whole market, considering that it was getting dark and cold again. Even if the merchants lit up lights, it was still cold, and while Akaashi and Bokuto seemed to be immune to the cold, Semi wasn't. They decided to go back when Semi's teeth started to clatter.  
  
“You should have said so earlier, Semi!” Bokuto said. “That you don't like the cold and stuff.”  
  
Semi just kept quiet and focussed on rubbing his arms.  
When they were almost back, Bokuto's stomach suddenly growled loudly.  
  
“Oh. It's dinnertime,” he announced. “I'll cook today, so Akaashi you can relax and Semi, you can relax, too. Leave the food to me!”  
  
Since Bokuto carried all bags anyway, he just ran. Akaashi didn't even try to stop.  
  
“Will he be alright?” Semi asked him.  
  
Akaashi nodded. “He may act like a child sometimes, but he's an excellent cook.”  
  
  
It turned out that Akaashi didn't lie to him.  
  
Bokuto's food was too amazing to be described in words. Even Kawanishi agreed, after he had tried his potatoes.  
  
“You need to get that recipe from him,” he said to Semi after they went to bed.  
  
“Yeah, I probably should. But for now, I'll sleep. Goodnight.”  
  
The demon just huffed in reply.  
  
  
When he woke up the next morning, it was just him and Akaashi again.  
“Bokuto left for work earlier,” he told him over coffee and breakfast. “He's working really hard to be able to pay for our food.”  
  
Semi felt bad when he heard that. After all they now had to buy food for him as well.  
  
“What about you?” he then asked. “Do you work somewhere as well?”  
  
Akaashi shook his head. “I don't.”  
  
“May I ask why, or is that too personal?”  
  
Akaashi hesitated for a second and then replied: “Too personal.”  
  
“Okay, sorry.”  
  
They finished their breakfast in silence.  
  
  
“I can't believe you had potatoes for breakfast.”  
Kawanishi continued to lick his paw. “And I can't believe you almost really walked all the way to that shrine.”  
  
“Sorry about that. I completely forgot.”  
  
“Yeah, I guessed. Stupid human.”  
  
“Don't be rude, potato cat. Mistakes happen.”  
  
Kawanishi just ignored him and curled up on the couch.  
  
“When do you plan on leaving?” he asked his mage then.  
  
“I was thinking about staying today and leaving tomorrow. What do you think?”  
  
“Whatever. I don't really care. It's your journey so you decide, Semi.”  
  
“You called me by my name again,” he grinned and Kawanishi rolled his eyes. “But yeah, let's leave tomorrow then. It's all nice here, sure, but there's more to see and my time is kinda limited.”  
  
“Then it's decided.”  
  
  
The market was less crowded than the day before when Akaashi took him there again.  
“I need to buy some food for our way tomorrow. I don't know how long it'll take until we get to the next town.”  
  
“So you're really leaving tomorrow?” Akaashi asked him. Semi had told him about his plans on their way to the market so he just nodded. “There's so much more I want to see.”  
  
“You should take some bread with you,” Kuroo suddenly chipped in. He had joined them on their trip to the market. “Fukurodani's bread is really good. Especially from that stall.” He nodded at one.   
It smelled overwhelming and so he bought two small loafs of bread.  
  
Semi was about to put his wallet away when he spotted something right in the stall next to the bread ones. Akaashi and Kuroo watched as he went there, bought something and then came back.   
  
Kawanishi, who had waited with them, looked up at him curiously.   
“Why are you grinning at me like that?”  
  
“Because I got you something.”  
  
Now he was interested. “And what is that?”  
  
Semi showed him the bag. “Potato chips.”  
  
“Potato.. chips?” Kawanishi was obviously trying to hide how excited he was but Semi could still see the little twitch of his ears and his tail.  
  
“Come on, up on my shoulders so I can feed you.”  
  
At first Kawanishi looked like he would protest, but then he just climbed up to lie on his usual spot. Even without a comment.  
  
Semi would never say it out loud, but it felt kinda good, to have Kawanishi on his shoulders again.   
Over the time, since he had first carried him like that, he kind of got used to it and it felt right. The warmth, the weight. Everything. It was as if something was missing when he wasn't there.  
  
Semi opened the bag of potato chips and took one out, breaking it into smaller pieces before he held one to Kawanishi. He took the potato chip from Semi's fingers and ate it.   
  
“And this is made from potatoes?” he then asked Semi.  
  
“It's not just made from them, it is potatoes.”  
  
“It tastes a little different, but still good,” the demon then said. “Every potato is a good potato.”  
  
This brought a smile to Semi's face.  
“Of course.”  
  
  
Semi bought some food for their journey and they went back to the warehouse. They had almost reached it when they heard a shrill whine from somewhere not so far away. Akaashi dropped his bags. He turned to Kuroo, his eyes wide in alarm.  
  
“That was Konoha! You get Semi back home and then follow me,” he yelled to the panther, already on his way to get to his familiar.  
  
Semi felt lost, but then decided to follow Akaashi despite Kuroo's protests. He was glad that he had left his bags to Kuroo as well, because like that he was able to catch up with Akaashi quickly.  
  
“What's going on?” he asked Akaashi. The other mage kept running, not noticing that he had wanted Semi to go back.  
  
“I don't know,” he then said. “All I know is that this was Konoha's voice and that he needs help. Now.”  
  
  
It didn't take long until they saw something white stagger towards them.  
  
“Konoha!” Akaashi yelled and ran towards him. Semi had a hard time keeping up with him.  
“Konoha, what happened? Is that blood? Oh my God, are you hurt?” Despite usually being so calm, Akaashi seemed to almost panic when he saw his familiar in this state.  
  
The usually fluffy white fur was tained in red. His legs were wobbly and he collapsed into Akaashi's arms.  
  
“Yukie,” he panted. “She needs help.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Follow my writing blog♥ ](http://phantomdieb.tumblr.com/)


End file.
